Latest News Archive
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| 2022-04-29 |
More women needed in surgery, says country’s youngest and first female head of Vascular Surgery |
| 2022-04-29 |
More women needed in surgery, says country’s youngest and first female head of Vascular Surgery |
| 2022-04-28 |
Opinion: UFS Centre for Human Rights’ hawk’s eye on water provision in the Gariep |
| 2022-04-28 |
Opinion: UFS Centre for Human Rights’ hawk’s eye on water provision in the Gariep |
| 2022-04-28 |
Seminar on Open Science, 12 May 2022 |
| 2022-04-28 |
Seminar on Open Science, 12 May 2022 |
| 2022-04-28 |
Opinion: Freedom and democracy still a dream for most African countries |
| 2022-04-28 |
Opinion: Freedom and democracy still a dream for most African countries |
| 2022-04-26 |
Contested Science for Sustainable Agriculture |
| 2022-04-26 |
Contested Science for Sustainable Agriculture |
| 2022-04-26 |
Sisters share the stage during April graduation ceremonies |
| 2022-04-26 |
Sisters share the stage during April graduation ceremonies |
| 2022-04-26 |
Opinion: KwaZulu-Natal floods: Each one help one |
| 2022-04-26 |
Opinion: KwaZulu-Natal floods: Each one help one |
| 2022-04-26 |
Intellectual property is an important driver of human development and economic growth |
| 2022-04-26 |
Intellectual property is an important driver of human development and economic growth |
| 2022-04-25 |
Childhood friends celebrate first degrees together |
| 2022-04-25 |
Childhood friends celebrate first degrees together |
| 2022-04-25 |
Theranostics in the fight against cancer |
| 2022-04-25 |
Theranostics in the fight against cancer |
| 2022-04-25 |
Double celebration for Ntheri twins as they graduate cum laude |
| 2022-04-25 |
Double celebration for Ntheri twins as they graduate cum laude |
| 2022-04-25 |
Nicoleen Moorcroft - overcame brain surgery to earn her third degree |
| 2022-04-25 |
Nicoleen Moorcroft - overcame brain surgery to earn her third degree |
| 2022-04-23 |
Free State for Choice (FS4C) withdraws court application against UFS COVID-19 Vaccination Policy |
| 2022-04-23 |
Free State for Choice (FS4C) withdraws court application against UFS COVID-19 Vaccination Policy |
| 2022-04-22 |
Pursue genuine transformation, states Theology and Religion Dean’s Medal recipient |
| 2022-04-22 |
Pursue genuine transformation, states Theology and Religion Dean’s Medal recipient |
| 2022-04-22 |
Senate Medal recipient: ‘More students to enjoy learning Biblical Hebrew’ |
| 2022-04-22 |
Senate Medal recipient: ‘More students to enjoy learning Biblical Hebrew’ |
| 2022-04-21 |
LLB graduate Lizandré Mulder excels in law and athletics |
| 2022-04-21 |
LLB graduate Lizandré Mulder excels in law and athletics |
| 2022-04-21 |
‘Hard work never goes unnoticed’, says Dean’s Medal recipient |
| 2022-04-21 |
‘Hard work never goes unnoticed’, says Dean’s Medal recipient |
| 2022-04-21 |
Mathematics students bag top graduation awards |
| 2022-04-21 |
Mathematics students bag top graduation awards |
| 2022-04-21 |
A second PhD for Prof Innocent Chirisa, Dean at the University of Zimbabwe |
| 2022-04-21 |
A second PhD for Prof Innocent Chirisa, Dean at the University of Zimbabwe |
| 2022-04-21 |
Friends beat the odds by achieving second degrees together |
| 2022-04-21 |
Friends beat the odds by achieving second degrees together |
| 2022-04-20 |
Opinion: KZN floods expose significant socio-economic and environmental vulnerabilities |
| 2022-04-20 |
Opinion: KZN floods expose significant socio-economic and environmental vulnerabilities |
| 2022-04-20 |
Chris Vorster’s PhD pays homage to the impact of Egoli creator, Franz Marx |
| 2022-04-20 |
Chris Vorster’s PhD pays homage to the impact of Egoli creator, Franz Marx |
| 2022-04-14 |
UFS explores potential areas of collaboration with institutions in Kenya |
| 2022-04-14 |
UFS explores potential areas of collaboration with institutions in Kenya |
| 2022-04-14 |
Shimlas aim to entertain in home semi-final |
| 2022-04-14 |
Shimlas aim to entertain in home semi-final |
| 2022-04-14 |
Kovsie Dining offers South Campus community affordable, healthy food choices |
| 2022-04-14 |
Kovsie Dining offers South Campus community affordable, healthy food choices |
| 2022-04-12 |
Stagedoor Makes a Resounding In-Person Return to UFS Stages |
| 2022-04-12 |
Stagedoor Makes a Resounding In-Person Return to UFS Stages |
| 2022-04-12 |
UFS Student Publishes Book on Love and Life in the African Context |
| 2022-04-12 |
UFS Student Publishes Book on Love and Life in the African Context |
| 2022-04-12 |
Louzanne Coetzee sets the pace and makes history at Two Oceans |
| 2022-04-12 |
Louzanne Coetzee sets the pace and makes history at Two Oceans |
| 2022-04-12 |
UFS position statement on xenophobia |
| 2022-04-12 |
UFS position statement on xenophobia |
| 2022-04-07 |
UFS awards five honorary doctorates during April 2022 graduation ceremony |
| 2022-04-07 |
UFS awards five honorary doctorates during April 2022 graduation ceremony |
| 2022-04-07 |
2022 Africa Week |
| 2022-04-07 |
2022 Africa Week |
| 2022-04-07 |
Shimlas stick to attacking style to secure semi-final spot |
| 2022-04-07 |
Shimlas stick to attacking style to secure semi-final spot |
| 2022-04-06 |
Urgent communication regarding payment of subsidies to NSFAS-funded UFS students |
| 2022-04-06 |
Urgent communication regarding payment of subsidies to NSFAS-funded UFS students |
| 2022-04-05 |
Preliminary finding indicates fire on UFS Qwaqwa Campus caused by arson |
| 2022-04-05 |
Preliminary finding indicates fire on UFS Qwaqwa Campus caused by arson |
| 2022-04-05 |
The UFS and partners calling on students to combat corruption in SA through writing competition |
| 2022-04-05 |
The UFS and partners calling on students to combat corruption in SA through writing competition |
| 2022-04-05 |
UFS wheat rust specialist contributes to paper in Nature Genetics |
| 2022-04-05 |
UFS wheat rust specialist contributes to paper in Nature Genetics |
| 2022-04-05 |
Food security dominant driver of plant pathology research in future |
| 2022-04-05 |
Food security dominant driver of plant pathology research in future |
| 2022-04-05 |
Celebrating Africa Month – call for contributions |
| 2022-04-05 |
Celebrating Africa Month – call for contributions |
| 2022-04-01 |
Dr Nicholas Pearce named Best Doctor of the Year in National Batho Pele Excellence Awards |
| 2022-04-01 |
Dr Nicholas Pearce named Best Doctor of the Year in National Batho Pele Excellence Awards |
| 2022-04-01 |
Celebrating more than a century of collaboration with universities in the US |
| 2022-04-01 |
Celebrating more than a century of collaboration with universities in the US |
UFS teams up with Department of Agriculture and donates latest farming technology to Oppermans
2009-03-09
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Attending the recent launch of the latest technology that measures the salinity of soil – the EM38 system – during an information day held in Jacobsdal were, from the left, back: Mr Robert Dlomo, a farmer from Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal, Prof. Leon van Rensburg, Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences at the UFS, Mr Sugar Ramakarane, head of the Department of Agriculture in the Free State, Dr Motseki Hlatshwayo, national Department of Agriculture, and Prof. Herman van Schalkwyk, Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the UFS; front: Mr Robert Smith and Mr Fagan Scheepers from Oppermansgronde, who will be working with the EM38 system in the area.
Photo: Landbouweekblad |
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UFS teams up with Department of Agriculture and donates latest farming technology to Oppermans
Emerging and commercial farmers of the Oppermans Community in the Northern Cape will now be able to monitor the salinity levels on their farms effectively for the first time.
This is as a result of a donation of the latest technology that measures the salinity of soil – the EM38 system – which the University of the Free State (UFS) is donating to the community.
The unique project was launched by the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences at the UFS and the Department of Agriculture in the Free State during an information day held at Jacobsdal recently.
The day was attended by members of the Oppermans Community and representatives of the UFS as well as the Department of Agriculture. Mr Sugar Ramakarane, Head of the Department of Agriculture in the Free State, did the welcoming and several academics from the UFS held discussions about various topics related to the salinity levels in soil.
Since the establishment of the Oppermans Community emerging farmers are now for the first time able to accurately monitor the salinity levels on their farms as well as that of irrigation schemes of commercial farms in the area.
“In a region such as the Northern Cape it is very important that the salinity level of soil is monitored properly. As water is administered to crops, salts accumulate in the soil because the roots leave most of the salts in the soil when it transpires. When the salinity of soil increases, the osmotic potential thereof can also increase, which can seriously damage the water intake of crops and can create loss in yield and income,” said Prof. Leon van Rensburg from the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences at the UFS and leader of the Oppermans Project.
To assist the farming community of Oppermans to apply precision farming and to measure the salinity level of soil more accurately the latest technology that measures salinity in soil – the EM38 – will be donated to the community. Although the system is used throughout the world, the UFS is the only tertiary institution in the country that owns the latest version of this system.
“We are also training two persons from the Oppermans Community as technicians that will monitor the use of the system. The advantage of the donation of the system for the university is that we can gather data that can be used for research purposes by our Master’s and Doctoral students. We also want to see if water-table heights can be measured with this system,” said Prof. Van Rensburg.
According to him the system has several advantages for the community’s emerging farmers. “For the first time the salinity level of soil can now be measured accurately, salt maps can be drawn up, we can advise farmers about the corrections that need to be made and salinity management plans can be compiled,” he said.
The system is very accurate as it takes measurements every 200 mm while it is pulled by a four-wheel motorbike. The readings provide the distribution of salts up to a soil depth of 1 500 mm. “In the past the measuring of salinity levels was time-consuming and the cost thereof was R90 for one sample. The new system is more cost-effective,” stated Prof. Van Rensburg.
The instruments will be handed over to the African Spirit Group of the Oppermans Community, who will then become the owners. The service to farmers will then be managed by an operational group consisting of people from the Oppermans Community, a postgraduate student who can compile salinity maps and Prof. Van Rensburg, who will act as project leader and advisor.
The system will also be made available to farmers at the Riet River and Vaalharts Schemes.
Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
9 March 2009
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