Sunscald or sunburn causes Sunscald may appear on foliage and fruits. The disorder is caused when the temperature of the fruit exceeds 40°C. An imbalance of various chemicals takes place which causes the destruction of the tissue. Heat injury expresses itself through a narrowing of the base of the stem, at the soil line. However, with [...]

At some stage a grower will see thin spindly pale plants growing somewhere in the greenhouse. Although not a physiological disorder of fruit, it is a disorder of the plant as a whole. Quite often plants grow to become long and stretched out. The leaves may even be smaller than usual and the colour of [...]

Getting small fruit (peppers or tomatoes) is better than getting no fruit at all. However it can be frustrating when growing to achieve 140 g fruit and harvesting 60-80 g instead. Small pepper fruit can be the result of various factors such as: Poor pollination: the temperature may be too high during the critical period [...]

Good pest and disease control in hydroponic systems is crucial for a successful hydroponic farm. Soon after the plants have been transplanted, pest and diseases will be attracted to the growth area. It is important to control these pests and diseases in order to harvest a good yield. The registered chemicals that can be used [...]

Not all pesticides and fungicides are equal.  They come in a variety of formulations and the seedling grower must know when and where to use them for optimal results. Although seedlings grow for a limited time in a nursery, pest and disease management is crucial to healthy seedlings and plants. If considerable effort has been [...]