The post RBX Philosophy in Action appeared first on River Bioscience.

The post Registration of SAGA™ Ant Bait appeared first on River Bioscience.

The post A Key Focus on Skills Development appeared first on River Bioscience.

Note from the MD

For most the traditional festive season was anything but traditional. Not being able to freely visit family, relax with friends or even just go to the beach has put strain on everyone during this normal time of fun.

COVID-19 has also been present in our Addo and Port Elizabeth offices for the first time in the last months of 2020 while at the same time a few cases have been experienced in the Citrusdal facility.

For the safety of us all and in the interest of the crucial services we provide to our customers the most impressive revelation out of all of this is however how these cases have been managed and controlled by all involved to prevent significant spread within our organization. Well done to all and stay vigilant. 

Cheers Rob

The two main platforms for commercial SIT moth release are by helicopter or by hand / manual. Hand releases are mainly used where orchards are covered by nets, and we see this increasing all the time, or where the immediate area covered is too small to deploy releases by means of a helicopter.

To date hand releases were done from petri dishes that were used to deliver moths to specific precalculated positions within the orchard.

This method has now been replaced with an improved manual release method designed, manufactured and tested with the assistance of Apex Engineering in Port Elizabeth.

This improved release unit mounts on the front carrier of the quadbike. Not only does this method ensure a continuous release of moths with improved distribution but they are also fitted with a variable speed drive connected to the rear axle of the quad bike allowing for an adjustment in moth quantity  being delivered to match the variation in the speed of the quad.  A total of 12 units have been deployed covering all areas and excellent results have been obtained thus far.

The post New Hand or Manual SIT Release Mechanism appeared first on River Bioscience.

The post RBX Groups Philosophy, Culture and Values Launch appeared first on River Bioscience.

Understanding what we are part of!

 

In the most recent season the Citrus Growers of Southern Africa have exported around 2 million tonnes of citrus to many destinations around the world.

Our two companies support this with our products and services and can be very proud to be part of this achievement.

How much is 2 million tonnes of Citrus though?? It is hard to imagine.

To illustrate this amount of Citrus lets explore some perspective to the volume.

The two million tonnes of citrus relates to 9.6 billion pieces of fruit.

If these 9.6 billion pieces of fruit were placed on the ground shoulder to shoulder, it would cover an area the equivalent of over 7 500 football fields.

If the 133 million cartons were stacked on top of each other, it would reach a height of 36 000 Km, equivalent to over 4 000 Mount Everest’s stacked on top of each other.

If this fruit were strung out in a single line, shoulder to shoulder, it would cover a distance of 720 000 Km

       – which would circle the earth almost 18 times, or                   – reach the moon and back almost twice.

If the 133 million cartons were packed on the ground next to each other it would cover an area of 16 square kilometres

      – 3 times the size of Robben Island,                                            – 8 times the size of the Principality of Monaco and               – be the third smallest country in the world by land mass.

The post Understanding what we are part of! appeared first on River Bioscience.

Note from the MD

Replacing the Cobalt sources was a project for X-SIT that could not fail and could only be done in July and August this year.

The number of obstacles in this unique process, under normal circumstances, is huge but throwing COVID-19 restrictions on top of this international project was a real threat.

Well done to all involved in getting this done on time to start the new irradiation season.

This confirms what can be done through team work, attention to detail and dedication.

                            Cheers Rob

The SIT moths are sterilised by exposing them to the high-energy gamma rays of two sealed radioactive Cobalt-60 (Co-60) sources.

The existing Co-60 sources, purchased in 2007, were nearing the end of their economically-viable life due to the normal reduction in strength over time and thus the replacement project was initiated.

Due to the nature of these Sources, a major hurdle was to obtain the correct approvals from various regulatory bodies, both nationally and internationally. A total of 11 approvals from 6 different regulatory bodies were obtained to get the new Sources from Canada. 

What followed was a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie where the new and old sources were exchanged inside a biologically shielded ‘hot cell’, using robotic manipulators whilst operators viewed their handywork via a live video feed. Because of the sources’ integral need to the SIT programme, the only time this exchange could take place was during the off season in July and August so timing was critical.

We are happy to report that the new Sources have been installed, fully commissioned and ready to irradiate for many years to come. The new Sources emit more than 5 times more energy, which drastically reduces the moth irradiation time. This reduced time is sure to have a positive effect on the whole SIT programme.

This brings to an end a two-year journey and special thanks goes to Emanuel Potgieter,  Erenst Hugo, Chesne Geldenhuys, Theunis Lombard and Dr Dawid de Villiers (External consultant) whom have been involved in this project since the onset.

The post New SIT Radiation Sources ready to go appeared first on River Bioscience.

The X-SIT production facility is already starting to produce for the new season.   As we slowly return to full capacity it is imperative that everyone follows the rules put in place to reduce the chances of COVID-19 coming into our work space.

Be Diligent – Stay Safe

A special note for thanks and best wishes goes to Magrieta Fortuin, pictured below, who retired on the 31st of July. Magrieta has worked at X-SIT since its start-up in 2007. The team thanks her for her dedicated contribution and wish her well for the future.

Cheers Rob

An enhanced label for RB1 / Blackout

RB1 / Blackout, our product for Citrus Black Spot, was granted emergency registration shortly before the 2017/18 citrus production season and although product growth has been good over the seasons the label did have some shortfalls.

Often with emergency registrations, there are conditional requirements that need to be submitted to the registrar within a specific time limit. This was indeed the case with RB1 where there were a few data gaps to address and our regulatory team have done an awesome job of getting this completed successfully. We are pleased to announce that as a result of all this work a revised label for RB1 was approved by Act 36 this month.

This revision sorts out some of the specific issues on the label and now allows for    RB1 / Blackout to be used throughout the citrus black spot treatment period and in a tank mix with specific azoxystrobilurin and pyraclastorbilurin fungicides.

The significant cost of securing these amendments and the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the exchange rate as well as the availability and international transport of raw materials has resulted in a price adjustment to RB1 for the up coming season and yet its price remains extremely competitive.

The importance of this product and its enhanced ease of use will however be of significant advantage to the Citrus Growers.

RBX Group Birthdays in August :

Malizca Abrahams, Cheslin Aford, Welton Basson, Cornelius Damon, Edwald Dirks, Elkeneth Dirks, Jan Dirks, Juliette  Du Preez ( Board Member), Getruida Engelbrecht, Bennit Jansen, Zoleka Marwanqana, Gurmour Pedro, Bronwill Pieters, Franco September, Paulus September, Gertruida Simon, Nadia Swart, Neilfred Swartz

The post An enhanced label for RB1 / Blackout appeared first on River Bioscience.

The post A Refreshing New Look appeared first on River Bioscience.

X-SIT production for this season has finished in Citrusdal and as the moths develop they will be released up to the end of June. During July the radiation source at the facility will be replaced and the normal repairs and maintenance carried out to prepare for the new season.

Congratulations to all involved in X-SIT for the most successful moth breading season ever. There were only a few weeks in the whole season where moth numbers were under pressure but for the large majority of the time we had more than enough moths to not only supply our clients with a little extra but also help in giving extra attention to Hotspots in a season that has seen a little more moth pressure than the previous two years.

I trust all in Citrusdal will enjoy their break as much as is possible.         

Cheers Rob

Living with Corona Virus

From all reports and indications from authorities it appears that although we have delayed the full onset of the virus by flattening the curve, we like the rest of the world are not able to stop it. The last two months have given our communities and health services a much needed opportunity to prepare for the expected peak of the virus in South Africa that is forecasted to be in quarter 3 of this year.

The company has also been preparing and as we continued to work as essential services we are used to working under Corona restrictions. A large amount of time and resources has been invested in equipping us for what lays ahead and it is up to us all to adhere to the policies and procedures put in place by the company.  These requirements are more than likely going to be valid for a considerable amount of time and therefor needs to become part of how we do things on a day to day basis.

  Making a difference with the Kolisi Foundation

After making some contributions to the Citrusdal community in March and April we looked for a way to also supply some help in the Eastern Cape.  We were able to link up with the foundation of our Springbok captain and through his foundation we are supporting 10 families for the next 3 month to ensure they have food on their tables through the tough winter months that lie ahead.

BE DILIGENT, BE SAFE

RBX Group Birthdays in June:

Darraleen Anderson, Jerry Botha, Nicola Chambers, Carmen Coetzee, Keegan Damon, Carlo Erasmus, Rhoderick Floors, Nathan Fortuin, Johnique Fransman, Cohen Geduldt, Taswald Kamfer, Anrich Lenee, Eric Leve, Rohen Ludik, Joy Nel, Martiens Oktober, Monrae Skeepers, Donvan Swartz

The post Living with Corona Virus appeared first on River Bioscience.