Handbook for Irrigation of Wine Grapes in South Africa

INSTITUTE FOR GRAPE AND WINE SCIENCES

The Institute for Grape and Wine Sciences (IGWS) is an initiative of the wine and table grape industries and Stellenbosch University. The aims of the IGWS are the establishment of world class training in grape and wine science, the promotion of research relevant to the local industry, as well as technology transfer to the wine and table grape industries. The initial focus was especially on the improvement of the infrastructure of training cellars and the purchase of modern research equipment. The establishment of critical human resources in training and research at the University, relevant to the wine and table grape industries, is a priority. Seven platforms have been established, and each platform is managed by a coordinator to give effect to the aims of the IGWS. These include an analytical, internship, sensory, viticulture, oenology, viticulture technology transfer, as well as an oenology technology transfer platform. One of the chief focuses of the IGWS is technology transfer and to communicate existing as well as new research and information to the industry. The purpose of this is to expand and reinforce the knowledge of people involved in the industry and thus improve the quality of South African viticulture and oenology. This contributes to an industry which is more competitive internationally. A needs assessment was done in the wine industry to identify priority themes for technology transfer. One of the great needs was the packaging of available information on the irrigation of wine grapes. As a result, the IGWS initiated and coordinated a project which led to the publication of this book. Due to the involvement of Netafim and Villa-Monash in technology transfer, they kindly also contributed financially to make the publication possible. In addition, in future the IGWS will focus on ensuring much closer ties between academics and the industry by initiating innovation projects and to further development initiatives originating from research. Specific attention will be given to projects which can have relevance for the industry if they can be developed into products, services or courses.

For more information on the IGWS, visit the website www.igws.co.za. The website also contains articles, e-books, fact sheets and a variety of information and resources for winemakers and viticulturists.

10 IRRIGATION OF WINE GRAPES