tawandamusarurwa
Online Reporter
WHEAT farmers can maximise yields through good agronomic practices, as the country angles to achieve wheat self-sufficiency, senior agronomist with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development’s training department Mr Izah Jaidi has said.
“Farmers should aim to maximise on the yield potential by the leaf area obtaining in their fields.
“It is from the food manufactured in the leaf that the farmer gets the yield from,” he said.
“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.”
Mr Jaidi encouraged farmers to adopt the use of drones, which could help reduce yield loss, as compared to tractor-mounted boom sprayers that can potentially trample on the crop.
This year, Zimbabwe is targeting to produce 408 000 tonnes from the 86 000 hectares that have been put under wheat.
Bongani Ndlovu