Browsing by Author "Jovanović, Nebojša"

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    Assessing the seasonal water requirement of fully mature Japanese plum orchards: A systematic review
    (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2024) Mashabatu, Munashe; Motsei, Nonofo; Jovanović, Nebojša; Dube, Timothy; Mathews, Ubaidullah; Nqumkana, Yolanda
    Japanese plums have relatively high water requirements, which depend on supplementing rainfall volumes with accurately quantified irrigation water. There is a lack of knowledge on the seasonal water requirements of plum orchards. This gap in the literature poses an imminent threat to the long-term sustainability of the South African plum industry, which is particularly plagued by climate change and diminishing water resources. The systematic literature review conducted in this study aimed to provide a foundation for supporting water management in irrigated Japanese plum [Prunus salicina Lindl.] orchards. Seventeen peer-reviewed articles obtained from the literature were analyzed. Approximately 66% of the cultivars were cultivated under different regulated deficit irrigation regimes for water-saving purposes and to increase fruit quality. This review of our knowledge provided benchmark figures on the annual water requirements of Japanese plums. The full-year plum crop water requirements obtained from the literature ranged between 921 and 1211 mm a−1. Canopy growth, pruning and growing season length were the most common causes of differences in the water requirement estimates. Further research is required to measure the water requirement of plums from planting to full-bearing age and the response of plum trees to water stress, especially in the South African context.
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    Quantifying the consumptive water use of Japanese plum orchards in the Western Cape province using the SEBS and SEBAL models
    (Universty of the Western Cape, 2024) Motsei, Nonofo; Jovanović, Nebojša
    Japanese plums form part of a multi-billion-rand deciduous fruit industry in South Africa. As with other dry countries, South Africa faces several water-related challenges, namely increasing water scarcity driven by a high population growth rate, rising intersectoral competition for water resources and climate change. Due to the low and erratic rainfall in the country, plums are grown under irrigation. As such the availability of water is crucial for the sustainability and growth of the South African fruit industry. Previous studies have successfully determined the water requirements of various fruit crops (e.g., apples, oranges), however, the water use requirements of plum orchards have not been sufficiently investigated. This paucity of knowledge forms the baseline of this study which aims to quantify the seasonal water use of high performing full-bearing Japanese plum orchards. To address this aim, the study was divided into two sections. In the first section, the water use of optimally irrigated, full bearing and high performing Japanese plum orchards planted to mid and late maturing Fortune and African Delight cultivars was estimated using the SEBS model and Fruit Look (SEBAL).