Reports 2

A good percentage of cultivated land in the Rabat District where I work as an Extension Service Officer is under irrigation. This is due to the fact that large amounts of water are present. Besides large reservoirs, some farmers even have boreholes which means that they can cultivate between 3 to 4 crops in one season. In this article we are going to analyze what kind of crops are grown under protection in winter and in the open fields in summer.

The total area of greenhouse crops cultivated in this district is 61,760 square metres. The Maltese farmer cultivates a good variety of greenhouse crops such as tomatoes, green peppers, eggplants, melons, strawberries, flowers, etc. This means that Malta is self-sufficient with regards to agricultural produce.

The types of greenhouses found here are those built some 35 years ago (wooden frames), and the new ones of plastic and aluminium. High tunnels are also found scattered around the area. During the summer months various crops are grown under closches. Vegetable seeds, all hybrid types, are imported from Holland and Israel.

Tomato

Tomatoes are one of the main crops cultivated by our local farmers on a large scale in Malta, where a great many seedlings are planted each year. This crop begins in August when the seeds are sown, and ends in June, after almost 10 months of continuous hard work where the farmer must be on the lookout for any abnormalities, diseases, etc., which can appear from time to time.

During the growing period the farmer encounters very difficult times, mostly between February-March, when temperatures are very low due to inclement weather and Grey Mould becomes rampant. This year we had some very serious attacks of this disease where whole greenhouses of tomatoes had to be uprooted and destroyed. Other serious diseases which attacks this crop are Leaf Minor and White Fly viruses and others.

A new method, other than spraying insecticides, called Biological Control, is now being used to control these diseases by applying insect predators to kill the ones causing the disease.

Various insect predators can be used in the greenhouse at the same time with great effectiveness. Most local farmers are still a bit wary when asked to start using these insects, but a farmer who did use them had success and no application of chemical spraying was needed.

I think it is high time for our farmers to start making use of Biological Control. When I was in Israel in 1995 I visited the BCI Company at Sde Eliyahu where work on new strains of insect predators for use in the greenhouses against enemy insects was in progress. BCI exports many of these insects to the U.S. and Japan and other countries and uses its many greenhouses in addition to open fields where this work is being carried out, as explained to us by Dr. Steinberg, Director of BCI.

The topmost variety of tomato grown in Malta is Dawn. It has now been cultivated for many years and I think it is time for a change. We must keep trying out new varieties compatible with our climate.

Green Pepper

Another product grown on a large scale is the green pepper. Farmers cultivate the Lamuyo and Mayata varieties which are long types and very attractive. Peppers are not only grown in greenhouses but also in the open fields. Yellow and red type peppers are also catching on besides earning a good amount of money for the farmer. When I was in Israel, where peppers are consumed on a very large scale, experiments on Mazurko red blocky type were being conducted.

Cucumber

Cucumber is another vegetable crop being grown in a large scale as it is very popular, especially in summer. Many good varieties are being cultivated where the long type are preferred. The top variety is the Kamaron, other varieties are the Laguna, Nile, Volkan, etc. The Kamaron tolerates the cold, while the Virginia, on the other hand, does not. We also grow the Meteor which is dark in colour. The Jazzer and American slicer type are cultivated in the open fields in summer.

Eggplant

Eggplant is also grown in abundance. The Maltese housewife prefers the round type - It is emptied, boiled, then filled with meat, onions, cooked and served with fried potatoes (which makes a very good dish). But the farmers also cultivate the elongated types which are mostly sold to hotels and other catering establishments.

Squash (Zucchini)

Another vegetable crop which is now established as one of the main source of income to the farmers is squash. The only drawback is that every year we have a very serious attack of virus. The plants are attacked when they are still very small (in beds), resulting in loss of crops.

Melon/Watermelon

Every year in Malta and Gozo a large amount of these two crops are grown both for export and for local fresh market. They are both cultivated on a large scale. The varieties most grown in Malta are the Makdemon and Sharon, but now new and more productive varieties are also being introduced.

Strawberries

This is also one of the crops grown in abundance and has a ready market in Malta. Strawberries are cultivated in growbags and also in water (hydroponics).

Outside Crops

In Malta the local farmer cultivates every kind of vegetable crop, making us self sufficient, although we must not be passive and must keep trying out new varieties, keeping up with the latest technology being applied in other countries. That means we must keep in constant contact with other experimental stations in countries such as Israel and Cyprus which have the same problems and climate as Malta. The two latest vegetable crops introduced in Malta not so long ago are the red cabbage and the red lettuce. Every year new varieties are being tried for their suitability to our country's climate. The red lettuce is now entering the local fresh market, although somewhat slowly.

Potato

The crop which gives much satisfaction to our farmers and everyone connected with it is the potato, the main crop being spring potatoes sown in December-January using imported seeds, white fleshed from Ireland and yellow fleshed from Holland. The winter crop is sown in August-September using small tubers left over from the main crop. Malta imports about 2,200 tons of seed potatoes where white fleshed is intended for local consumption and the yellow fleshed for export.

Each year the Department of Agriculture carries out extensive trials using new varieties. Seed breeders send over varieties to be grown and tested under local climatic conditions. From this article one can see that the Maltese farmer likes to diversify his work.