
Bonga Lewis NgcoboDurban University of Technology | dut · Department of Horticulture
Bonga Lewis Ngcobo
PhD Agric; MScAgric Horticultural Science - cum laude; BScAgric (Plant Science)
About
25
Publications
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Introduction
B.L Ngcobo is currently doing a PhDAgric in horticultural science at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. His research focuses on the use of sustainable and innovative practices to enhance quality and yield of fruit vegetables, particularly in the Solanaceae family. He's currently working on the use of LED lights and moringa.
Education
May 2018 - July 2021
January 2017 - December 2017
February 2013 - November 2016
Publications
Publications (25)
I delivered a poster presentation on the topic ‘Combined Effect of Heat Treatment and Moringa Leaf Extract (MLE) on Colour Development, Quality and Postharvest Life of Tomatoes’, in the 2nd International Symposium on Moringa. Improving pre-harvest and maintaining postharvest tomato quality is increasingly challenging, particularly in developing cou...
The prevention of certain chronic diseases has been related to tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) consumption. The demand for high-quality tomatoes has, therefore, increased rapidly. As a climacteric fruit, tomato will only ripen to full colour postharvest. Trusses of mature-green greenhouse tomatoes of a red (‘Cherry Little Wonder’) and a yellow cul...
Global food security is increasingly challenged by unpredictable climatic conditions and population growth. Currently, most farmers rely on soil-based cultivation methods for food production. The limitations of this approach mainly include high dependence on the seasonal changes and chemical additives. These limitations suggest that traditional cul...
Biostimulants such as seaweed extracts are emerging as crop management products that can enhance crop productivity and nutritional quality under abiotic stress conditions. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a seaweed-derived biostimulant (Kelpak ®) in alleviating salinity stress in spinach. A greenhouse experiment which cons...
Purpose: The study was conducted to evaluate growth, physiological, morphological and yield response of gem squash plants following soil drench application of different plant extracts. Research method: A pot experiment conducted in the glasshouse was laid out following complete randomized design (CRD), with five replications. Thirty healthy, simila...
Purpose: The study aimed to explore different extraction methods, extraction solvents, as well as solvent/water mixtures that could potentially yield(s) the best growth-enhancing, yield- and quality-promoting effects of Moringa oleifera leaf extracts (MLEs), when applied foliarly to tomatoes and peppers. Research Method: This study was laid out fol...
Most farmers rely heavily on inorganic fertilisers to enhance the production of horticultural crops. This can lead to environmental pollution, soil degradation and even human health problems. Reducing the usage of inorganic fertilisers by incorporating organic fertilisers (e.g. moringa leaf powder (MLP) and chicken litter (CL)) into inorganic ferti...
The use of supplemental light has been proven to be effective in growing plants in controlled environments. These light sources have been proven effective in influencing both, developmental and phytochemical pathways. Among artificial/supplemental lights, light emitting diodes (LEDs) offer several advantages and unique properties. Consequently, the...
Coronavirus (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on the 11th of March 2020, after affecting most countries. South Africa (SA) had 4 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of February 1st, 2023, and claimed 103 thousand lives. Although vaccination has a significant influence on national hospitalizations and mortality r...
Scientific evidence has proven that various naturally occurring phytochemical compounds, particularly in the leaves of the Moringa oleifera plant, can be beneficial for plant production and pharmaceutical applications. Currently, the most common methods for extracting these compounds from moringa plant parts involve distillation and solvent extract...
The use of plant-based seed oils, including moringa seed oil, has gained enormous attention in agriculture. This seed oil presents an exciting research object, due to its properties and various potential applications in agriculture. Moringa seed oil contains certain compounds that exhibit insecticidal and fungicidal effects, making it a viable natu...
The current reliance on pesticides and synthetic fertilizers has been vital to sustain and increase agricultural production. The continuous, excessive use of these traditional practices has negatively affected consumer health and burdened the ecosystem. The use of plant extracts as a tool to minimize agrochemical inputs has been extensively investi...
The production of fruits and vegetables has increased globally due to the increasing demand by consumers. These commodities are rich in various phytochemical nutrients that can reduce disease occurrence and improve human health. However, a significant loss of fruits and vegetables occurs during the postharvest stage. In this sense, edible coatings...
The current reliance on pesticides and synthetic fertilizers has been vital to sustain and even increase agricultural production. The continuous, excessive use of these traditional practices has negatively affected consumers’ health and burdened ecosystems. The use of plant extracts has the ability to improve plant growth and agricultural productiv...
In this study the combined effects of moringa leaf powder (MLP) and synthetic fertilizers, applied directly to the growing medium, on improving growth, yield and quality of sweet peppers was evaluated. The treatments were applied individually or in combinations to the 5-L pots and mixed with the growing medium. Our study indicated that there were n...
The majority of losses in horticultural produce occur during postharvest storage, particularly due to poor handling. Most fruit, especially climacteric fruit, have a short postharvest life due to an increase in ethylene synthesis which signals ripening and, subsequently, senescence. Traditional practices for preserving the postharvest quality of ho...
The extensive use of synthetic chemical fertilizers is associated with environmental pollution and soil degradation. In addition, the high costs of these fertilizers necessitate the search for alternative, eco-friendly and safe natural sources of phytonutrients. The liquid extracted from moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) leaves has been used in agric...
In this research, the combined effect of red and blue LED lights on tomato plants and fruit was investigated. Selected tomato plants were illuminated with a combination of red light (RL) and blue light (BL) at a ratio of (1:1) with a combined pho-tosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) of 138 ± 5 µmol m −2 s −1. This illumination was installed above...
Cherry tomatoes have become popular worldwide as fruit vegetables. It is rich in various carotenoids particularly lycopene and β-carotene. Carotenoids in tomato play a significant role in the prevention of various diseases. The first characteristic that determines the degree of consumer’s acceptance is colour, while the final quality parameter cons...
As a climacteric fruit, tomato continues to ripen, even if detached from the mother plant. During ripening of tomatoes, carotenoid synthesis is accompanied by the degradation of the green chlorophyll pigments. Lycopene and β-carotene are the major carotenoids in ripe tomato and represent the primary components of ripe fruit pigmentation. Colour and...
Bonga Ngcobo is a senior PhD student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, in the Discipline of Horticultural Science. He holds a BSc Agric and Masters (cum laude) from the same University; currently he is in the final stages of his doctoral studies under the supervision of Prof. Isa Bertling and Dr Alistair Clu...
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is the most commonly produced and most-widely consumed horticultural commodity in South Africa and, indeed, worldwide. The demand for high-quality tomato fruit is increasing significantly due to the health benefits associated with its consumption. Consequently, application of moringa leaf extract (MLE), a method that h...
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is the second-most produced and consumed vegetable crop after potato, nationwide. To attract consumers, new cultivars of tomato have been developed to diversify the tomato market. Improving pre-harvest and maintaining postharvest tomato quality is increasingly challenging, particularly in developing countries. This stu...
Green-mature and turning cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) of a red ('Cherry Little Wonder') and a yellow ('Goldilocks') cultivar (cv) were illuminated, post-harvest, with either red (118 µmol m-2 s-1 at 638 nm) or blue LED light (118 µmol m-2 s-1 at 454 nm) for 48 h and subsequently stored for up to 21 days at room temperature. The effects...