River water quality in the northern sugarcane-producing regions of South Africa and implications for irrigation: A scoping study

Abstract

Sustainable cultivation of crops under irrigation requires water of appropriate quality, especially with regards to salinity and sodicity. Agriculture can impact negatively on water quality, often through the export of nutrients (particularly nitro gen (N) and phosphorus (P)) from the root zone, resulting in eutrophication of surface water and pollution of groundwater. Sugarcane is the major irrigated crop with regards to area cultivated in the Crocodile, Komati-Lomati and Pongola River catchments. Increasing demand for and use of water resources in these catchments has led to concerns about deterioration in water quality.

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