The influence of canopy cover and cultivar on rates of water use in apple orchards in the Western Cape Province, South Africa
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Date
2020
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Western Cape
Abstract
Water availability and climate related issues are some of the greatest crop production risks to irrigated agriculture in arid regions. In South Africa, for example, the increasing frequency and severity of droughts related to climate change and the growing competition for limited water resources among different users threaten the sustainability and growth of irrigated agriculture, especially the water-intensive fruit industry. Major fruit such as apples (Malus domestica Borkh) are produced entirely under irrigation in South Africa. As a result, there has been considerable research to accurately quantify the water requirements of fruit tree orchards in order to maximize water productivity.
Description
Philosophiae Doctor - PhD
Keywords
Apple (Malus Domestica Borkh), Canopy cover, Crop coefficients, Heat ratio method, Leaf resistance