COVER CROPS in South African Vineyards

CHAPTER 2 REGIONAL TRIAL SITES

Reference list Fourie JC. 2005. Cover crop management in the vineyards of the Lower Orange River region, South Africa: 1. Performance of grass and broadleaf species. South African Journal of Enology and Viticulture , 26(2), 140–146. Olifants River valley Trials in the Olifants River valley were conducted at the ARC Infruitec- Nietvoorbij research farm near Lutzville in the West Coast District of the Western Cape. Climate The Olifants River valley lies in the winter-rainfall region.The area is semi- arid and receives less than 200 millimetres of rain annually. Average daily temperatures range from approximately 14 ºC in winter to approximately 22 ºC in summer. Table 2.4 lists average temperature and rainfall data for the period March 1991 to February 1993.

TABLE 2.4. Average mean daily temperature and monthly rainfall for Lutzville for March 1991 to February 1993. Data supplied by the ARC Institute for Soil, Climate and Water.

Average total monthly rainfall in millimetres

Average mean daily temperature in °C

Month

January February

0.0 2.8 0.0 7.1 4.1

22.5 21.9 22.5 19.6 17.1 15.0 14.7 14.2 16.1 18.1 19.8 20.6

March

April May June

15.6 28.8

July

August

8.9

September

12.6 32.3

October

November December

0.4 0.2

Average total annual rainfall

112.6

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