Horticultural highlights from NAMPO Cape 2026

Horticultural highlights from NAMPO Cape 2026 NAMPO Cape 2026 highlighted a range of developments across South Africa's horticultural sector, from protected cultivation technologies and hydroponics to biological crop protection, substrates, energy and techniques. © Tinneke Hattingh | VerticalFarmDaily.com The development illustrates the potential for locally adapted genetics within South Africa's specialty-flower sector, particularly where growers can identify and propagate material suited to specific climatic conditions.

Hydroponics, water and energy Resource efficiency was a recurring theme. © Tinneke Hattingh | VerticalFarmDaily.com Glen Cairns, a substrate supplier, noted growing international sourcing activity, with producers in Sri Lanka exporting throughout the year.

Economist Dawie Roodt emphasized the importance of scale, cooperative approaches, professional management, and technology adoption, including AI, while also highlighting the need for stronger technical training within the agricultural workforce. Across the horticultural discussions at NAMPO Cape 2026, a common theme emerged: competitiveness in protected and controlled-environment production will increasingly depend on technical precision, resource efficiency, reliable inputs, climate intelligence and the integration of biological and digital technologies.

Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?

Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.

What is the operator takeaway from this trial?

If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.

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