All in Cotton and Fibre Crops

Water Smart Cotton and Grains in NSW

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:33:46 +0000

Irrigators want to improve WUE in terms of bales per ML or tonnes per ML, with the intention to maximise their profitability or $/ML. An important step to achieving this is through the adoption of irrigation management best practices. Consultants will be mentored to increase their knowledge, skills and confidence to deliver a range of irrigation services. Irrigation training, farm walks and technology demonstrations will provide the platform of knowledge transfer and encourage the adoption of irrigation best practices to improve WUE. Water use indices will be calculated for both the cotton and grains industries to provide a benchmark to gauge future changes in WUE.

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IDs and People

Program:

National Program for Sustainable Irrigation

Research Type:

Research Project

Research Scale:

Farm

LWA Project Code:

DAN005162

Researchers:

Deb Slinger

Subjects

Subjects:

Cotton and Fibre Crops

Field Crops and Horticulture

Water (General)

Keywords:

smart

Cotton

Grains

Current Activities

Status:

Active

Current Activities:

During the first half of 2009, the project team will be surveying cotton and grain irrigators to establish water use efficiency benchmarks. NSW DPI previously conducted a survey of 36 cotton farms from Hillston to Emerald and found a 40 percent increase in water use efficiency since 2003. This project will expand the collection of this important benchmarking information to include the both the cotton and grains industries. Data will be obtained from around 60 cotton and 60 wheat irrigators located from Southern NSW through to Central Qld so as to benchmark irrigation water use for the cotton industry during the 2008/09 season and for irrigated wheat during the 2008 season. Consultants will play a role in the collection of this data through the consultants support program. After receiving training in the on-line benchmarking tool Watertrack Rapid, project officers will provide support to improve consultant’s knowledge, skills and confidence to offer benchmarking as an irrigation service.

The project will continue the delivery of training workshops on a range of irrigation topics such as those developed as part of the Cotton and Grains Irrigation Workshop Series and the Centre Pivot and Lateral Move National Training Course.

Background

Project Background:

In recent times, cotton irrigators have shown a growing interest in irrigating winter cereals as the profitability of these crops has improved. Irrigators want to improve their WUE in terms of bales per ML or tonnes per ML, with the intention to maximise their profitability or $/ML. An important step to achieving this is through the adoption of irrigation management best practices.

In an effort to further improve water use efficiency within the cotton and grains industries, this project will build upon the achievements of the preceding ‘Knowledge Management in Irrigated Cotton and Grains’ and ‘Advancing Water Management in NSW’ projects. It will also complement other CRDC and GRDC funded projects such as the ‘High Yielding Irrigated Grains in Cotton Farming Systems’ and ‘Maintaining Profitability and Soil Quality in Cotton Farming Systems III’. These projects have elements focussing on stimulating adoption of best management irrigation practices and generating greater water use efficiency in both the irrigated cotton and grains industries.

This project has been developed based on the recommendations of the ‘Knowledge Management in Irrigated Cotton and Grains’ project evaluation report.

Coutts, J & R. (April 2008), Knowledge management in irrigated cotton and grains (Phase 2). External Evaluation. Internal Document.

Aims:

1) Benchmark irrigation water use efficiency in terms of bales per ML or tonnes per ML for the irrigated cotton and grains industries.

2) Increase consultant’s knowledge, skills and confidence to offer a greater range of irrigation services to growers.

3) Promote and deliver irrigation training to cotton and grains irrigators and consultants to increase their knowledge of best irrigation management practice.

4) Scope the full upgrade of an Irrigated Cotton and Grains WATERpak.

5) Coordinate and or support forums/field days/conferences to build relationships between researchers and extension staff, irrigators and consultants.

Insectivorous bats, irrigated cotton production and Indigenous vegetation remnants

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 01:11:48 +0000

IDs and People

Program:

Innovation

Research Type:

PhD Student

LWA Project Code:

002219

Host Organisation:

The Cotton Catchment Corporation

Researchers:

Leah MacKinnon

Subjects

Subjects:

Biodiversity

Cotton and Fibre Crops

Project Information

Summary:

This study has investigated the links between microbats, cotton production and native vegetation across three cotton production properties (56 km ²) adjacent to the Namoi River between Narrabri and Wee Waa on the north west plains of NSW. Surveys of ultrasound echolocation was recorded through seasons and through the night to work out the behaviour patterns of the 14 to 17 species identified in the study. These species are grouped into guilds and were studied in cotton fields and vegetation remnants. Bats reduce cotton pest moths Helicoverpa spp. through direct predation, and interruptions to their reproductive activities. This ecosystem service depends roosting sites and they need to be retained. The study shows the complex relationships between individual species and an assemblage of bats in an intensive agricultural landscape matrix. Many results have important implications in the management of both remnant vegetation and GM cotton varieties.

Current Activities

Status:

Complete

Monitoring aqueous rootzone conditions under irrigated cotton and grains

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 04:17:55 +0000

Felicity Roos, at the University of Sydney, will be doing a short trial of the ‘SoluSampler’. The SoluSampler is a water sampler that collects samples at various root depths in order to monitor rootzone salinity. This tool has been used in citrus and grape crops and Felicity will be testing it for suitability for monitoring nutrient leaching and salinity levels under irrigated cotton and grains.

IDs and People

Program:

National Program for Sustainable Irrigation

Research Type:

Research Project

Host Organisation:

University of Sydney

Researchers:

Felicity Roos

Subjects

Subjects:

Cotton and Fibre Crops

Irrigation

Keywords:

Monitoring

rootzone

irrigated

Cotton

Grains

aqueous

conditions

Current Activities

Status:

Complete

Background

Aims:

1. Test the suitability of SoluSampler as an in-situ sampler of rootzone conditions
2. Monitor salinity and nutrient content of sub-surface drainage under two cotton irrigation systems
3. Provide an undergraduate student field and laboratory research experience as well as greater exposure to the irrigation industry