Final Report

Preparing irrigated agriculture for statutory and climate change in South West Australia

The project aimed to address the information deficit amongst irrigators, water resource managers and local government to ensure that irrigation in this region has a sustainable and
productive future.

NPSI - Phase 2 Final Report

The national Program for Sustainable Irrigation was a unique collaboration as it involved governments, irrigators, water providers and researchers from across Australia. It covered every aspect of irrigation from dam management and water delivery, through on-farm management, to sustainable landscape environmental measures. the program has contributed to; major increases in the efficiency and productivity of irrigation water, significant reductions in (more)...

Managing soil salinity in groundwater irrigated vineyards

We combined samples taken during the project with those taken a decade ago to assess whether annual cycles of saline high SAR irrigation in summer and non-saline low SAR rain in winter had caused an increase in soil sodicity and salinity. Above average winter rain in 2011 reclaimed sodic and saline soils. This indicated that any change in soil structure wrought by a decade of these cycles was not yet a significant impediment to leaching of salts and (more)...

Up-skilling Water Managers on Expert Irrigation Systems

This project provided for the extension of the Vegetable Irrigation Scheduling System (VISS) to the vegetable industry. The VISS was developed for vegetable growers by the Department of Agriculture and Food of Western Australia (DAFWA), and uses evaporation rates automatically downloaded from local weather stations, plant growth factors and soil type to calculate the irrigation requirements of crops.

Oxygation

Oxygation involves mixing atmospheric air with irrigation water using a venturi and delivering it via a surface or subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system. 

Oxygation as a tool delivers air into the crop root zone. Oxygen limitations can be significant in compacted, saline, and water logged soil, and with high BOD effluent irrigation water.

Knowledge and tools to manage fertigation technologies

This project aimed to address knowledge gaps and test assumptions regarding the application of modern approaches to the delivery of water and dissolved mineral fertilisers to citrus trees under Australian conditions.

The effect of changing irrigation strategies on biodiversity

Here we report on a three year project conducted by CSIRO in collaboration with the Ricegrowers Association who have been conducting an Environmental Champions Program since 2005.

This program aims to assist landholders to improve environmental and economic returns of their farm businesses and also allows them to be recognised for their past, current and future environmental stewardship at an industry level.

Soil management for Australian irrigated horticulture

Presented in this report is a new system of orchard soil management that overcomes coalescence. Iit involves planting of rye grass, which produces rhizosheaths of soil around each of its roots to aid development of properties found in the world’s best soils.

Precision Irrigation

This report is the outcome from a NPSI funded review of relevant irrigation research, existing technologies and the use of precision irrigation. It includes an assessment of the role of current irrigation application technologies in precision irrigation, as well as variable rate applications, adaptive control and the sensing and decision support requirements. The review also provides a framework to guide research and development of precision irrigation (more)...

Demonstration & Evaluation of Riparian Restoration in the Johnstone River Catchment