Farmers' production practices, incidence and management of pests and diseases, extension services, and factors limiting cotton production and quality in South Africa

Abstract

Cotton is one of the essential cash crops; however, several factors, such as low yields and pest and disease infestations, affect the production. In South Africa, cotton production has increased among small-scale farmers since the late 1990s. Although the crop is not new to South African farmers, no recent information reflects the current status of cotton production practices. A study evaluated farmers' production practices, the incidence and management of pests and diseases, extension services, and factors limiting cotton production and quality in South Africa. One hundred and forty farmers, mainly smallholder farmers, were interviewed during the 2017/18 growing season. Most farmers planted genetically modified (GM) cotton on less than 5 ha of cotton, with 96% planting under dryland. Most farmers neither practised conservation agriculture (95%) nor conducted soil analyses (87%). A mean cottonseed yield of 700 kg ha^-1 was reported on dryland cotton, and 5 000 kg ha^-1 was obtained from irrigated cotton. Most of the farmers (99%) harvested their cotton by handpicking. Farmers' pest knowledge was higher than their knowledge of different diseases. Most participants were unaware of nematodes (88%) or disease-resistant cultivars (74%), while 91% were aware of insect-resistant cultivars. Extension officers only mentored and supported many respondents (82%). Most farmers (93%) relied on pesticides to control cotton pests, and the rest (7%) used biological control. Climatic conditions (98%), labour costs (88%), and insect infestations (42%) were identified as the main constraints in cotton production. Although this study had a limited number of surveyed farmers, it gives some insight into their knowledge and challenges.