Technical Yearbook 2023

JANUARY/FEBRUARY

Magnetic Studio, Knysna

Alvi van der Merwe with Jan du Toit, vineyard manager at Alvi’s Drift.

Underground irrigation at Alvi’s Drift By Pierre Snyman

This article is not aimed at investigating and comparing underground drip irrigation systems. The main objective is rather to introduce the use of the NOVAP system to producers in the wine

have already been implemented on small scale, but the blockage of drippers remains a big problem and impediment to the large-scale application of these systems. The major obstacle is that blockages of drippers are discovered too late, when damage to vineyard blocks tend to have already reached an advanced stage. Alvi’s Drift Wine Cellar Alvi van der Merwe is the owner of the well-known and award-winning Alvi’s Drift Wine Cellar just outside Worcester in the Scherpenheuvel area. The average rainfall in this area is approximately 200 mm per year and most of the farms receive their irrigation water from the Kwaggaskloof Dam. Alvi realised that water would become ever scarcer and that he had to investigate and find ways to use his available water more effectively. In 2019 he decided, after extensive research, to plant 25 ha of vineyards and 5 ha of citrus to NOVAP’s underground irrigation system. Alvi soon discovered that he was able to cultivate more hectares of vineyards with the same amount of water at his disposal, and that the new irrigation system made him a more sustainable wine producer.

industry. Introduction

The agricultural sector is increasingly under pressure to manage water more effectively and sustainably because of the sharp increase in water requirements for urban consumption. Add to this that global warming will cause drier and warmer conditions and less rain over the long term, resulting in even greater water scarcity. The wine industry likewise is increasingly under pressure to utilise water effectively, which has already led to many changes in how we irrigate. Most vineyards are currently irrigated with drip systems, mainly because it saves water. There is however still a need to use the available water even better and apply it more effectively. Underground drip systems

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TECHNICAL YEARBOOK 2023