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Lucentlands Podcast Episode 153 explores the largely unseen world beneath agricultural crops and why soil testing is becoming increasingly important for modern farming.
Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie speak to Sheila Storey, Consultant to Nemlab & Soil Health Support Centre and Director at NemaBio.Sheila explains how microscopic nematodes can damage plant roots, restrict nutrient uptake and contribute to costly production losses. However, not all nematodes are harmful. Beneficial, free-living nematodes can serve as valuable biological indicators of soil health and help identify whether soil is degraded, enriched or biologically balanced.
The conversation also explores Sheila’s journey from starting Nemlab in her home in 1987 to building a highly specialised agricultural laboratory serving producers, researchers and agricultural companies across Southern Africa.
A major focus is the development of a South African entomopathogenic nematode-based biopesticide. The locally sourced biological product is intended to control the soil stages of certain insect pests. Sheila discusses its potential advantages, the lengthy research and registration process, and why South Africa should invest in developing biological solutions from its own biodiversity.
