COVER CROPS in South African Vineyards

CHAPTER 2 REGIONAL TRIAL SITES

Soil types The soil at this site was a fine-textured sandy loam. Irrigation practices Flood irrigation was applied when total available soil moisture was estimated to be 50%. Cultivar and management The vineyard contained Colombar grafted on Rupestris du Lot. The vines were trained on a 1.5-metre slanting trellis. Cover-crop selection .............................................................................. p65 Weed control ......................................................................................... p114 Where to find details of trials in this region Reference list Van Huyssteen L, Van Zyl JL and Koen AP. 1984. The effect of cover crop management on soil conditions and weed control in a Colombar vineyard in Oudtshoorn. South African Journal of Enology and Viticulture , 5(1), 7–17. Lower Orange River region Trials in this region were conducted on the farm Boomplaas near Keimoes, in the Northern Cape. Climate Keimoes lies in a summer-rainfall area.The region is semi-arid, receiving less than 200 millimetres of rain annually. Average monthly temperatures range from about 12 ºC in winter to about 27 ºC in summer.Table 2.3 lists average temperature and rainfall data for 1996–1998.

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