FRUITLOOK: A SPATIAL APPROACH TO ACCESS AND IMPROVE WATER USE EFFICIENCY OF VINEYARDS AND DECIDUOUS FRUIT ORCHARDS IN THE WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE

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1 FRUITLOOK: A SPATIAL APPROACH TO ACCESS AND IMPROVE WATER USE EFFICIENCY OF VINEYARDS AND DECIDUOUS FRUIT ORCHARDS IN THE WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE SABI Conference Lord Charles Hotel : 2 Aug 2017 A S Roux Pr Eng

2 Content of presentation Limited water resources available FruitLook solution Take home message Western Cape Government 2012 SABI conference

3 All the fresh water on earth will fill a droplet with a diameter of km Western Cape Government 2012 SABI conference

4 ANNUAL RAINFALL 857 mm mm 470 mm 80 % in 5 MONTHS WORLD HAWAII SOUTH AFRICA Western Cape Government 2012 SABI conference

5 National Rainfall and Evaporation SABI conference

6 Unique situation of Western Cape Winter 90% of our rain 25% of the demand Somer 10% of our rain 75% of the demand We thus need to store our winter runoff in dams to be available in summer for irrigation SABI conference

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8 Water availability (Million m 3 /a) WMA Natural MAR Ecological Reserve Yield Irrigation use Other use Total use Balance Gouritz Olifants/ Doorn Breede Berg SABI conference

9 Challenges Western Cape Government 2012 SABI conference

10 Western Cape Government 2012 SABI conference

11 Agro-meteorological situation in Western Cape Winter rain started very late, first significant rain in July Normally winter rain start around the Easter Weekend Below normal rain fell in the winter which had significant impact on water levels in our major storage dams Dam levels much lower than corresponding time last year Area % on 31/7/2017 % on 31/2016 % on 31/7/2015 Berg Breede Olifants/Doorn Gouritz WC Province Cape Town supply SABI conference

12 Critical dam levels Dam % on 31/7/2017 % on 31/7/2016 Greater Brandvlei Theewaterskloof Voelvlei Berg River Clanwilliam SABI conference

13 Percentage Western Cape dams Months SABI conference

14 Percentage Percentage Theewaterskloof Dam water levels Months Dams providing water to Greater Cape Town Months SABI conference

15 Theewaterskloof Dam 24 May 2017 SABI conference

16 Inlet to tunnel at Charmaine 24 May 2017 SABI conference

17 Draaiberg Bridge and Vyeboom Irrigation Scheme Pump Station 24 May 2017 SABI conference

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19 Climate change? Max temp ever on earth in October measured in Vredendal 48.3 C SABI conference

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21 Impact of high temperatures on grape production Production of biomass in grapes stop when the temperature exceed 34 C vines go into survival mode During the period October 2015 to January 2016 this threshold was exceeded on numerous days. Total crop yield not yet available but significant lower crop is expected this year Estimates vary from -12% to -15% in comparison with 2015 Financial implication: Every 5% reduction in the crop result in a R175 million reduction at the farm gate When all the revenue streams are added, this escalate to R525 million Huge impact on the rural economies and rural communities Table grapes: consistent high temperatures in Jan (30 C+ for full 24 hours per day) in Hexrivier valley impacted on shelf life of table grapes and resulted in huge losses from exported grapes Western Cape Government 2012 SABI conference

22 Tons Impact on Fruit Crops 70,000 60,000 50,000 40,000 Fruit size is smaller = Decrease in packable fruit and less marketing options (UK, ME) Sunburn and internal problems = lower pack-outs and income / LT storage? Problematic colour development = lower pack-outs and income on premium varietals (blush and bi-coloured) Change in pest/disease complex & associated costs = risk to marketing programmes (EU, Taiwan & USA) Exceedances of MRL levels/grain Chinch Bug/Predators Total loss calculated at R720 million -29% 30,000 20,000-37% -8% 10,000-11% -11% - William's Bon Chretien Pears Apricots Early + Mid Nectarines Early Plums Dried Grapes SABI conference Original 2016 Estimate

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25 FruitLook: Innovative method to increase water use efficiency in Agriculture Western Cape Government 2012 SABI conference

26 Need Improve efficiency of resource use National Water Act (1998): water should be used more efficiently Mitigate impacts of climate change WUE = Crop yield (kg) Water consumption (m 3 ) or Option 1: Reduce water consumption without decrease in yield Option 2: Increase yield without increasing water consumption SABI conference

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28 Remote sensing Sun Satellite Two sources of radiation: Solar radiation visible near infrared short-wave infrared Earth Surface thermal infrared SABI conference

29 An image of a surface and its surface temperature spot the differences SABI conference

30 Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) Satellite imagery and meteorological information is used to solve energy balance ET is calculated as the residual of the energy balance Desert surface Irrigated surface

31 FruitLook Structure

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33 FruitLook Area: Western Cape Crops Hectares Grapes 118,900 Deciduous fruit 30,500 Citrus 12,000 Stone fruit 21,000 Total fruits 182,500

34 The FruitLook Data Portal Data accessible online through the FruitLook data portal: Free subscription User needs to provide block boundaries once Weekly updates on 9 growth parameters from September to April

35 FruitLook Data Portal MOISTURE GROWTH MINERALS

36 FruitLook overview Web portal containing spatial, remote sensing derived data Growing seasons (35 weeks): 2016/ / / / / / /11 Weekly time interval Area: WC Deciduous Fruit producing areas 9 weekly updated growth data components MOISTURE: Actual evapotranspiration Evapotranspiration deficit Crop factor Biomass water use efficiency GROWTH: Biomass production Leaf Area Index NDVI MINERALS: Nitrogen content (plant) Nitrogen content (top leaf) 20 x 20 meter pixels

37 The FruitLook Data Portal Change in time Change in space

38 FruitLook Data Portal: MyField Analysis In this example three fields from the Grabouw area are compared for the season. The deviating trend in field Grabouw3 is clearly visible.

39 FruitLook Data Portal: MyField Analysis Compare: - Seasons - Blocks - Fertilizer Treatments - Varieties - Irrigation Schemes

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41 Seeing is believing? SABI conference

42 Time & Space sample / see SABI conference

43 Comparison energy (i) R n H ET G SABI conference

44 FruitLook Data Portal: FruitSupport Tracks Vegetation Index and Biomass Production during growth season Dissiminates -warning once block internal variation becomes too high or overall negative trend is visible SABI conference

45 FruitLook Use: Disease Detection ) Identification of area with poorer biomass growth 2) Strategic soil sampling of these areas to analyse for nematode presence 3) Treatment of affected areas only Strategic treatment saved 75-80% Block more uniform after treatment SABI conference

46 FruitLook Use: Sampling / Zonation SABI conference

47 FruitLook Use Example Poor yield caused by insufficient irrigation in critical growth stages. SABI conference

48 FruitLook Impact Over 450 active users; Over 32,000 ha in active use; Water productivity improved more than 10% for 60% of the users Unique project in the world for improving production and resource use at an unprecedented scale SABI conference

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50 Take home message

51 Water is a limited resource Water conservation by all user sectors are not negotiable The pollution of our water resources can have very negative impacts on our daily lives and very existence It is the responsibility of every citizen to conserve water and to protect our resources Start with small efforts brushing teeth Do not allow any foreign matter to enter our water and waste water systems Agricultural sector: more crop per drop Urban sector: irrigate effectively and save electricity 1 kwh of electricity saved = 1.35 liters of water saved Western Cape Government 2012 SABI conference

52 Come gather round people wherever you roam And admit that the waters around you have grown And accept it that soon you ll be drenched to the bone. If your time to you is worth savin Then you better start swimmin or you ll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin Bob Dylan SABI conference

53 Thank You

54 Contact Us Andre Roux Pr Eng Sustainable Resource Management Tel: Fax: