NEW: Wheat farmers urged to embrace good agronomic practices

The ManicaPost

Agriculture Reporter

GOOD agronomic practices are key to wheat farmers optimising their yields and significantly contribute to the country achieving self-sufficiency for the cereal, senior agronomist with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development’s training department Mr Izah Jaidi has said.

Manicaland is primed for a bumper harvest as nearly 30 percent of the winter wheat crop has reached the critical heading or flowering stage, with the province having planted 11 800 hectares which is 108 percent of its target of 10 000ha at the closure of the extended window on June 15.

Mr Jaidi urged farmers to adopt the use of drones in the place of tractor-mounted boom sprayers that can potentially trample on the crop as part of efforts to reduce yield loss.

“Farmers should aim to maximise on the yield potential by the leaf area obtaining in their yields. It is from the food manufactured in the leaf that the farmer gets the yield from,” he said, adding: “More so, the flag leaf, which is the last and biggest leaf to emerge, accounts for more than 75 percent of effective leaf area. This leaf is prone to pest attack, aphids and other leaf eaters. If this happens, the yield will be reduced.”

Zimbabwe is this year targeting to produce 408 000 tonnes from the 86 000 hectares that have been put under wheat.