SA Waterbulletin December 1987

Abstract

The WRC announces the second impression (1987) of grohydrology and-climatology of Natal by RE Schuize A study that evaluates the influence of available water on the agricultural potential of Natal. ORDER NOW by returning the enclosed Book Order Card in this Bulletin The approach used in this survey has been founded on four basic principles: The driving forces' of all agricultural growth and potential are the availability of moisture and solar energy, the latter energy index being described by temperature. Analyses of precipitation and temperature therefore form a vital component of this survey. It is the interaction of precipitation and temperature (as expressed through evapotranspiration) on crops with certain growth characteristics and cultivated in soils with given properties that determine the productivity of a given area. These interactions are best analysed by a water balance (i.e. soil moisture budgeting) approach, and a basis for this has been the development of the ACRU Agrohydrological Model.

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