The best management options for cover cropping are largely unknown, including the growth patterns of cover crop (CC) species, optimum termination stages and termination methods. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to explore the following: (i) Effect of two termination stages (vegetative and flowering) on the chemical composition (N and C:N) of four CCs; (ii) Short-term impacts of living CCs and residues on soil pH, total N, urease and phosphatase activities at the two termination stages, and under two termination methods (slash and spray). Species tested as CCs were, vetch (Vicia dasycarpa L.), field pea (Pisum sativum L.), oats (Avena sativa L.), rye (Secale cereal L.) and a control (no CC). The experiment was set up in a randomized block design with three replications. Soil was sampled at kill and one year after CC kill. Delaying termination from vegetative till flowering stage decreased N in the tissue of P. sativum, A. sativa, V. dasycarpa and S. cereal by 59%, 65%, 44% and 56%, respectively, while their C:N ratios increased. Cover crop presence had no effect on soil pH. Living CCs had no significant effect on soil N concentration. The activities of urease and phosphatase were stimulated by all the living CC species. Unlike urease, all CC residues had a positive impact on phosphatase activity at one year. Only P. sativum and V. dasycarpa residues increased soil N concentration in the short-term. Compared to flowering, termination at vegetative stage improved soil N concentrations and phosphatase activity at both sampling times. Termination method had no effect on soil N, urease and phosphatase activity at one year. The significant interaction (P < 0.05) of sampling time, CC and termination stage effects on soil N concentration and phosphatase activity observed in this study indicates that these management approaches can optimize CC benefits and improve soil chemical and biological properties.

The rationale for using constructed wetlands for treating wastewater is that wetlands are naturally among the most biological active ecosystem on earth. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of shorter retention time on the performance of constructed wetland in terms of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and other elements removal. The application of wastewater with retention time of seven days as well as the evaluation of water quality after treatment at Goudini experimental wetland was carried out throughout the year. The results had shown an overall average COD removal of 60% throughout the year. Results also showed reasonable removal of other elements namely; potassium, pH, nitrogen, electrical conductivity, calcium, sodium, magnesium and boron from the wastewater by constructed wetlands. The results showed low COD removal during July until September after which it improved tremendously. The reason for low COD removal during first three months could be attributed to the fact that there was no gradual increase of wastewater application to the wetlands i.e. from 4,050 litres per day to 8,100 litres per day. The results had showed that constructed wetland as a secondary treatment system is effective in terms of COD and other elements removal from winery and distillery wastewater. COD removal throughout the year was 60% with seven days retention time. When compared with previous studies that showed 80% COD removal within 14 days retention time, therefore the 60% removal is very critical to wine industries as more wastewater will be applied to the system.

A 45 m long, 4 m wide and 1 m deep wetland was constructed at Goudini in 2002 to treat distillery and winery effluent. After the plants were fully established, the wastewater with an average chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 14,000 mg/l was introduced to the wetland system at a rate of 4,050 litres per day. After treatment, wastewater at the outlet had an average COD of 500 mg/ l, indicating more than 90% COD removal. After treatment, the wastewater was used to irrigate cash crops as part of poverty alleviation for farm workers. The experiment consisted of four treatment: clean irrigation water with fertilizer applied (B1); clean irrigation water without fertilizer applied (B2); wastewater irrigation with fertilizer applied (B3); and wastewater irrigation without fertilizer applied (B4). These were replicated seven times. Cabbage was cultivated as a cash crop. The results indicated that cabbage could be irrigated with winery wastewater treated by wetlands. The study found that there was significant difference between treatments that were fertilized compared with those that were not fertilized. The results indicated that wastewater irrigation improved the nutritional status of the soil.

Cowpea is one of the most important food legumes in most African countries. Cowpea is a valuable source of dietary protein for both humans and their livestock. There is limited information available on cowpea production and suitable agronomic practices, such as planting date, to best suit different environmental conditions in South Africa. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two locations on cowpea production and the effect of planting date as affected by zinc application rate. Field experiments were conducted at two locations (Bien Donne’ and Nietvoorbij) in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, using two planting dates (2 October and 2 November), three cowpea lines (Veg1, M217 and Qukawa) and three zinc (Zn) fertiliser application levels (0 kg/ha, 15 kg/ha and 30 kg/ha) during the 2015 growing season. The experimental design was a randomised complete block with five replicates. The results showed that Veg1 and Qukawa lines performed significantly better in both vegetative and reproductive parameters when compared to M217 at both locations. Application of zinc fertiliser significantly (p<0.05) affected seed iron content in Veg1 and M217 at Bien Donne’ and seed iron content in M217 and zinc content in Veg1 at Nietvoorbij. Significance: Cowpea lines Veg1 and Qukawa were the best performing lines in all parameters measured, making these two lines suitable for dual purpose cultivation. Planting cowpea in November, rather than October, increased the crop production efficiency. Cowpea showed a better overall total yield in the sandy soil of Bien Donne’ than in the sandy loam clay soil of Nietvoorbij. Open data set: https://osf.io/u4veb/?view_only=45d90f5cd93949fb90cd0ee45055f92c