Citrus Research International (CRI) has published Citrus Irrigation, a handbook to help growers make better irrigation decisions and use water more efficiently as pressure on agricultural water grows, Food for Mzansi reports. It was launched on 24 August at the 13th CRI Citrus Research Symposium in the Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal.
Written by Dr Philip Myburgh and Dr Johan van Zyl, who began working together in August 1976, the book came from a CRI-led project sponsored by irrigation company Netafim. The need emerged from irrigation training sessions run by CRI's extension team with Netafim, which showed growers needed help understanding irrigation principles and applying them consistently.
The authors combined South African and international research with visits to citrus regions, where growers helped with soil profile examinations and root studies. The handbook covers irrigation strategies, the effects of poor irrigation and over-irrigation, water quality and the use of treated wastewater. "Developing guidance on irrigation strategies was a particularly demanding task because published results are not always consistent," Myburgh said.
"Irrigation is the foundation of what we do," said Jaco Lindeque, a citrus grower with Group 91 in Letsitele, praising the publication. It is sold through the CRI online resource centre for R350.
Photo: Tim McCabe, USDA NRCS / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Source: Food for Mzansi
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