Orientation: Graduate unemployment remains a pressing economic challenge across Africa. The rapid advancements in technology, machine learning and artificial intelligence have further reduced job opportunities for young graduates, including those in agriculture. Research purpose: This study explores industry perceptions of employability skills required for agricultural graduates in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) era in South Africa. Motivation for the study: The 4IR era is transforming the agricultural sector, requiring graduates to develop skills that align with technological advancements. Understanding employer expectations can help higher education institutions adapt curricula to meet workforce demands. Research approach/design and method: A mixed-method approach was used, combining qualitative and quantitative data. The study employed a cross-sectional research design, with semi-structured questionnaires administered to 150 employers in the Cape Winelands District, Western Cape. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis were applied to examine employability determinants, while thematic analysis was used for qualitative insights. Main findings: Graduate employability is strongly linked to gender, multilingual abilities, academic performance, and soft and hard skills. Employers emphasised the importance of practical experience, communication and digital proficiency in modern agricultural techniques. Practical/managerial implications: The misalignment between industry needs and academic curricula contributes to graduate unemployment. Strengthening collaborations between universities and employers can bridge this gap, offering students hands-on experience and job opportunities to improve employability. Contribution/value-add: This study highlights the importance of industry participation in curriculum development, ensuring agricultural graduates acquire essential skills for success in the evolving 4IR-driven sector.

Due to the expansion of farming, many agricultural systems now depend more on chemical pesticides and inorganic fertilisers to boost farm output. Leguminous cover crops are used to improve soil fertility and to increase nitrogen availability for crop production. This review focuses mainly on evaluating the role of leguminous cover crops on soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. Furthermore, it focuses on the role of cover crops in crop biomass, grass nutritive value and crop-livestock grazing systems. This review used the Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar databases (accessed between January 2003 and December 2022). To find publications in the scope of the study, the authors combined different groups of keywords. The reviewed literature revealed that leguminous cover crops significantly increase yield due to an increase of nitrogen through nitrogen fixation. In addition, leguminous cover crops boost the forage's nutritional value, lowering feed costs and increasing livestock productivity. As a result of these findings, farmers can reap the benefits of leguminous cover crops in various ways, including enhancement of soil health, biomass, yield and reducing overall production costs.

Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L. var. cicla), a popular leafy vegetable grown mainly for its ease of production and nutritional content, is normally used as a good source of microminerals iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn). Improving plant uptake of Fe and Zn could assist in reducing micromineral deficiencies in humans, which are a global problem. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Research Council, Stellenbosch to assess the response in micromineral and soil trace elements uptake in Swiss chard grown under zeolite and sandy soil. The experiment consisted of four treatments, with six replicates arranged in a randomized complete block design. Zeolite was applied at 0%; 10%; 20% and 30% in combination with sandy soil. Swiss chard was harvested for micromineral analysis 143 days after transplanting. Soil samples were also collected at the end of each growing season. Swiss chard leaves were analysed for Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu content with soil samples also analysed for the same elements. The study found that zeolite did not improve Swiss chard uptake of Fe, Zn and Mn. Soil Fe also had an inverse relationship to zeolite application while the residual effect of zeolite showed the same trend, but only in the second season. This study indicated that zeolite cannot be used to improve micromineral uptake by Swiss chard but can be used to rectify heavy metal-infested soils.

Soil degradation and water scarcity are major challenges affecting crop productivity in sandy soils. Zeolite, a naturally occurring aluminosilicate mineral, has been explored as a soil amendment to improve soil properties and enhance plant growth for various crops. However, limited information on the influence of zeolite soil amendment on Swiss chard nutritional content. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Research Council, Infruitec-Nietvoorbij, Stellenbosch, South Africa from late autumn to late spring. The study accessed the effects of zeolite soil amendment on dry matter yield, moisture content, crude ash, and crude protein of Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla cv. Ford Hook Giant) over five harvests. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomised block design with four treatments 0; 10; 20 and 30% zeolite application to sandy soil, all at 12 kg sandy soil or sandy soil and zeolite mixture. Data were analysed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), and treatment means were compared using Fisher’s least significant difference test at a 5% probability level. The results of this study show that zeolite through its porous nature, high cation exchange capacity and alkalinity may be used to improve water availability to plants (moisture content) while at the same time improving dry matter yields and mineral accumulation (crude ash content). However, zeolite did not improve the crude protein contents of Swiss chard, which is a function of nitrogen assimilation. Nevertheless, 20–30% zeolite application levels can be used as an effective method to combat soil degradation and mitigate drought-related challenges. These rates improved dry matter yields, enhanced crop moisture content, and promoted crude ash and/or mineral accumulation in Swiss chard.

A zeolite pot experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Research Council Infruitec-Nietvoorbij in Stellenbosch, South Africa, under greenhouse conditions. The experiment aimed to investigate the impact of zeolite application on soil enzyme activities in sandy soils cultivated with Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris Var. cicla) and cabbage (Brassica oleracea Var. capitata L.) over two years (2018-2019). Different zeolite-to-soil ratios (0:1, 1:9, 2:8, and 3:7 w/w) were used, with each pot containing 12 kg of soil. The experiment involved 72 pots for each vegetable, arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Soil enzyme activities, including acid phosphatase, β-glucosidase, and urease, as well as soil chemical properties (pH, total plant-available nitrogen, organic carbon, and phosphorus), were analyzed. Key findings indicate that the effect of zeolite application on enzyme activities varied between the vegetable species. Zeolite application significantly increased (P

Vegetable producers struggle with soil fertility challenges and ever-increasing inorganic fertiliser prices. Solid winery waste compost provides a promising solution to these problems and mitigates the environmental consequences of discarded winery waste. The use of organic soil amendments improves crop growth and yield; however, there is limited information on the responses of Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla) to solid winery waste compost. This study assessed the effect of NPK fertiliser and two rates of solid winery waste compost on Swiss chard growth and yield. The experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Research Council, Bien Donné Farm, Paarl, South Africa, from April to June and was laid out in a randomised complete block design with four treatments: control, NPK fertiliser, and two solid winery waste compost rates. All plant growth parameters, the number of leaves, leaf length, and leaf width improved significantly with the solid winery waste compost treatments compared to the control. This was linked to the compost’s ability to act as a sponge, retaining water and slowly releasing nutrients throughout the growth cycle. The fresh yield of Swiss chard did not show a statistically significant difference (p>0.05) among the amended treatments. The lower compost rate resulted in a slightly larger, but not significantly different, yield (12.95 t/ha) compared to the high compost rate (11.78 t/ha) and NPK treatment (11.39 t/ha). This was attributed to a potential optimal application rate at the lower compost rate, in which conditions were optimal for nutrient absorption and soil pH. The high compost rate may have resulted in an antagonistic relationship with nutrients due to its higher pH and sodium content, leading to osmotic stress. These findings suggest that although solid winery waste compost is an effective soil amendment for improving Swiss chard growth, further research is needed to determine the optimal application rate necessary for significant yield improvement.