All in Irrigation

Changing patterns of salt distribution in irrigated soils

mgabelle — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 23:47:47 +0000

The compilation of a clearer picture of the changing patterns of salt distribution in irrigated soil by Flinders University of SA student Megan Sebben under the supervision of the head of the South Australian Research and Development Institute’s Water Resources and Irrigated Crops Unit, Jim Cox.

IDs and People

Program:

National Program for Sustainable Irrigation

Research Type:

PhD Student

Host Organisation:

National Program for Sustainable Irrigation

Researchers:

Megan Sebben

Subjects

Subjects:

Water (General)

Irrigation

Keywords:

salt

irrigated soils

Current Activities

Status:

Active

Location

State & NRM Region:

South Australia

Water Planning Tools

superuser — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:18:34 +0000

Water planning is one of the most important tools for achieving sustainable use of water. While water planning can apply to a range of matters such as flood risk, water quality, water supply etc, the type of water planning with which the National Water Initiative (NWI) is most concerned is water allocation/ water sharing planning. That is, planning how surface and underground water resources will be managed and shared to achieve environmental, economic and social outcomes.

IDs and People

Program:

Social and Institutional Research Program

Program Theme:

Water Planning

Research Type:

Research Project

LWA Project Code:

005064, 004963

Subjects

Subjects:

Water (General)

Catchment Management

Environmental Flows

Irrigation

Rivers and Wetlands

Project Information

Summary:

Project Website

waterplanning.org.au

Current Activities

Status:

Active

Current Activities:

A wide range of practical experience has already been drawn from across all jurisdictions and integrated with current academic literature, to identify similarities and major differences in planning processes and outcomes sought, as well as strengths, weaknesses and key lessons learnt.

We now need to trial tools for water planning by applying and adapting them for use during the development of a selection of catchment and/or regional water plans. This project is now underway and will work across a small number of regions (the Murray River in SA, Tiwi Islands in NT and the Condamine River in Qld) that are currently commencing active engagement in water planning.

These case studies will develop practical measures to improve:

the incorporation of climate change and surface water/ groundwater interactions into water plans
adaptability in water planning (including improvement to monitoring and evaluation) and integration of water planning with broader land use assessments and catchment planning processes
transparency in water planning and use of the best available information (ecological and socio-economic) to inform judgements in settling trade-offs, and

the equitable consideration of community values (incl. Indigenous)

More Information

Download project brochure

Integrating Water and Catchment Planning

superuser — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:48:27 +0000

In most jurisdictions across Australia, developing water sharing plans is a key activity.

However, the programs and processes for developing catchment plans like:

Integrated Catchment Management (ICM) plans and targets
Natural Resource Management plans
Catchment Action Plans (CAP)
Regional/Local Environment Plans

and those for preparing the Water Sharing Plans required under the National Water Initiative, seem to be run quite separately, often over different time periods, and not always by the same groups.

Preview Image:

IDs and People

Program:

Social and Institutional Research Program

Program Theme:

Water Planning

Research Type:

Research Project

Subjects

Subjects:

Water (General)

Catchment Management

Environmental Flows

Irrigation

Rivers and Wetlands

Project Information

Summary:

In most jurisdictions across Australia, developing water sharing plans is a key activity.

However, the programs and processes for developing catchment plans like:

Integrated Catchment Management (ICM) plans and targets
Natural Resource Management plans
Catchment Action Plans (CAP)
Regional/Local Environment Plans

and those for preparing the Water Sharing Plans required under the National Water Initiative, seem to be run quite separately, often over different time periods, and not always by the same groups.

As a result, a Water Sharing Plan may not, for example, take account of changes in climate or land use, or catchment targets for sediment and nutrient loads to estuaries.

The National Water Commission believes there is a need for much closer linking between Integrated Catchment Management activities and water planning. Through reference to “real life” case studies, this project seeks to identify opportunities for integration between these two planning processes.

More information

Please contact Ken Moore

Outcomes:

Project outputs sought by the National Water Commission and Land & Water Australia are those that will provide guidance to others about how to integrate Integrated Catchment Managment/Natural Resource Management and Water Sharing plans. These may include:

a statement of the benefits of integrating water planning into the broader goals of Integrated Catchment Management, and of the problems that can arise from not doing so
a description of different approaches to achieve this integration, and examples of what an Integrated Catchment Action Plans or Water Sharing Plan might look like
discussion of the appropriate spatial scale for integration of plans, region, catchment, state and temporal scale, 5 or 10 years, taking account of climate change scenarios
a list of key steps in the process of developing and then implementing an integrated plan, with critical success or failure points
examples of the tools, methods and protocols that might be used in the integration process. These might include tools for multi-criteria analysis, for evaluation, for engagement, for negotiation of agreed outcomes, etc.
commentary about which processes and tools might be most appropriate in particular circumstances
a fully-documented case study of integration, covering the starting situation, processes and tools used, what worked and what didn’t, outputs and outcomes achieved

Currently discussions are underway with NSW and Tasmania.

Current Activities

Status:

Pending

Impact of chemicals used in irrigation agriculture on macroinvertebrate biodiversity

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:16:00 +0000

IDs and People

Program:

Innovation

Program Theme:

PhD Students

Research Type:

PhD Student

LWA Project Code:

002385

Host Organisation:

University of Technology Sydney

Researchers:

Catherine Choung

Subjects

Subjects:

Irrigation

Project Information

Summary:

This PhD project is exploring the pesticide mixtures used in agriculture on aquatic ecosytems. Her work is focusing on atrazinbe and terbufos in concentrations that could be found in rivers and their impact on cladocerans and chironomids. She will also be working with Southern Bellfrogs. A short article was published in RipRap in 2007.

Current Activities

Status:

Active

Irrigation Futures for the Murray

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:30:06 +0000

The Murray Darling Basin (MDB) irrigation sector is facing several issues including over-allocation, droughts, decreased water supply and changed reliability of water. This project aims to engage with key stakeholders/policy makers to get them to identify a few of the key policy questions regarding water trading, carry-over rules and spatial optimisation under different flow regimes (historic, dry, medium and wet) and identify relevant policy mechanisms critical for a sustainable irrigation sector in the MDB.

IDs and People

Program:

Innovation

Program Theme:

Innovation Call

LWA Project Code:

CLW005036

Host Organisation:

CSIRO Land and water

Researchers:

Ejaz Qureshi

Subjects

Subjects:

Innovation

Irrigation

Keywords:

irrigation

murray darling basin

Current Activities

Status:

Pending

Location

State & NRM Region:

National

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

Irrigation Futures of the Goulburn Broken Catchment

superuser — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 05:28:25 +0000

The Goulburn Broken Irrigation Futures project used scenario planning with extensive stakeholder engagement to develop a vision and strategies for irrigated agriculture in the region over the next 30 years.

IDs and People

Program:

National Program for Sustainable Irrigation

Research Type:

Research Project

Legacy (KMS) Project ID:

VPI3

Host Organisation:

Department of Primary Industries and Cooperative Research Centre for Irrigation Futures

Researchers:

Dr Q.J. Wang

Subjects

Subjects:

Data and Information

Mapping and Modelling

Innovation

Primary Industries

Catchment Management

Irrigation

Keywords:

futures

sustainable irrigation

Catchment

census

Project Information

Outcomes:

The project outputs have recorded the above regional scale and agency-specific assessments and strategies. That work will assist agencies and businesses in the region to prepare for the future of irrigated agriculture over the next 30 years. The project has also demonstrated that scenario planning can be used with communities for regional planning. It has provided a methodology for such planning that can be used by other regional communities. The methodology provides a step-by-step guide to the processes used in the Goulburn Broken Irrigation Futures project, and the lessons learnt by the project team though their implementation.

Current Activities

Status:

Complete

Background

Project Background:

The Goulburn Broken Catchment is a major contributor to the state and national economies and the quality of life of consumers. The region faces significant challenges and opportunities. Issues such as free-trade agreements, climate change, water reform, and technological developments will have a significant influence on the future. As one of the oldest gravity irrigation systems in Australia, Goulburn-Murray Water’s irrigation system needs substantial renewal of its ageing infrastructure in the next 20 years. The consequences of these pressures are highly uncertain and will impact on the region’s economy, environmental assets and social fabric. It is therefore critical that the region develops a sound plan to strategically position itself for irrigation in the future.

Aims:

The project objectives were to:

Facilitate key stakeholders to develop a shared vision for the future of irrigation in the Goulburn Broken Region over the next 30 years, and to identify scenarios of major constraints and opportunities and of regional response options
Understand the social, economic and environmental consequences of various scenarios through impact assessment that integrates the best available knowledge
Facilitate key stakeholders to build consensus on preferred regional options for future irrigation, and recommend regional follow-up actions.
Develop a methodology that can be applied elsewhere in Australia for sustainable irrigation planning at a catchment scale.

Knowledge & tools to manage fertigation technologies in highly productive citrus orchards for minimal environmental footprint

superuser — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 02:02:20 +0000

High frequency fertigation is being adopted by Australian citrus producers as an alternative to traditional approaches to supplying water and mineral nutrients to trees. Information, guidelines and practical tools to assess performance are insufficient to support the economic & sustainable use of these technologies for citrus production on Australian soils.

IDs and People

Program:

National Program for Sustainable Irrigation

Research Type:

Research Project

Legacy (KMS) Project ID:

DAN5027

Host Organisation:

NSW DPI/SARDI

Researchers:

Michael Treeby

Subjects

Subjects:

Data and Information

Landscape Management

Soils

Irrigation

Keywords:

Citrus

fertigation

nitrate

leaching

management tools

rootstocks

uptake

soil solution

Project Information

Outcomes:

Adoption of practices associated with:

more efficient use of water
more efficient use of mineral fertilisers
reduced on- and off-site impacts of the use of modern irrigation/fertigation technologies
improved awareness and raised understanding of issues underpinning appropriate use of irrigation/fertigation technologies in other high value horticultural crops

Current Activities

Status:

Active

Background

Project Background:

It is generally accepted that drip irrigation is the most efficient irrigation system, and the adoption of drip irrigation systems is generally accompanied by the adoption of technologies that allow nutrient application as frequently as water application. Sometimes these technologies are adopted along with a confidential service agreement, in which case management regimes (i.e. fertiliser recipes) are prescribed. More often, these technologies are being adopted without support, and nutrient supply regimes are based on experience and hearsay, and nutrient inputs often reflect the inefficiencies inherent in delivery technologies used in the past.

Either way, wider knowledge and higher skill levels are needed, and a lack of such skills and that knowledge are an impediment to adoption and to the most efficient use and management of drip irrigation/fertigation technologies by growers. Research and extension organisations have very little or no experience with the newer technologies, and are unable to properly service the skills and information needs of growers. Thus, there is a strong need to demonstrate to industry the integration of modern efficient drip irrigation management with current “best bet” nutrient supply based on advanced understanding of citrus nutrient needs. There is also a strong need to widen the knowledge and skills base of growers and increase the availability of decision support tools. This will enable better decisions to be made in relation to irrigation and nutrient supply to reduce the potential environmental foot print associated with the mismanagement water and nutrient supply.

Aims:

Develop guidelines, practical grower-friendly tools and information packages and provide training for irrigators and support industry for the sustainable and economical use of the new fertigation technologies in citrus production by:

quantifying nutrient capture by roots of commercially relevant citrus rootstock genotypes in relation to supply
establishing commercial-scale demonstration sites of commercially relevant citrus scion varieties growing on commercially relevant rootstock genotypes by re-developing existing plantings to enable short- and long-term responses to nutrient supply to be quantified
developing framework to quantify water and nutrient escape below the rootzone of citrus trees growing in lysimeters
identifying the phenological stages when leaching is most likely to occur
evaluating and demonstrating to industry the efficacy of nutrient capture under different short- and long-term supply regimes using demonstration sites
studying the effect of commonly practiced high intensity fertigation regimes on salt, water and nutrient movement within and below the root zone of the commercially relevant citrus enterprises
calibrating a 2D/3D solute transport model under lysimeters and validate under field conditions for predicting nutrient and water flux beyond the root zone

Management of irrigation water storages: carryover rights and capacity sharing

superuser — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:54:09 +0000

The research will investigate two decentralised approaches to storage management - carryover rights and capacity sharing.

This project examined and compared carry over and capacity sharing rights to consider outcomes to central control of storages (dams). This will include the development of a model to quantify the potential benefits from adopting decentralised storage management policies. The project will also involve a detailed examination of existing capacity sharing schemes in Queensland.

IDs and People

Program:

National Program for Sustainable Irrigation

Research Type:

Research Project

Legacy (KMS) Project ID:

ABA5066

Host Organisation:

ABARE

Researchers:

Tim Goesch

Subjects

Subjects:

Landscape Management

Water (General)

Irrigation

Keywords:

Storage

Carryover

Capacity sharing

Project Information

Outcomes:

Improved understanding of water storage management issues by industry and policy makers
Improved understanding of alternative water storage management options including carry over rights and capacity sharing
Improved understanding of the capacity sharing schemes operating in Queensland
Potential change in storage management policy by governments, away from centralised management and toward more decentralised approaches such as capacity sharing

Current Activities

Status:

Complete

Current Activities:

This research project investigates two decentralised approaches to storage management: carryover rights and capacity sharing. Capacity sharing (otherwise known as ‘continuous sharing’) has been successfully introduced by SunWater at the St George and Macintyre-Brook irrigation schemes in Queensland. Preparations are currently underway for a field trip to St George and Inglewood (MacIntyre-Brook) in Queensland, where ABARE will interview a number of key stakeholders including local irrigators and SunWater staff. This trip is scheduled to take place on the 21st to 24th October, 2008.

Background

Project Background:

The intertemporal management of irrigation water storages involves a consumption-storage decision, where the benefits of consuming water today need to be evaluated against the uncertain benefits of storing water for future use. Traditionally in Australia state governments have centrally managed this decision: making decisions on water allocations (water released for consumption today) based on current storage levels and expected inflows. Storage release policies can be thought to vary along a yield-reliability spectrum: ranging from conservative (low yield-high reliability) to aggressive (high yield-low reliability).

Yield refers to long run average allocations associated with a particular release policy, whereas reliability refers to the variability in allocations associated with this release policy. For example, a conservative release rule would release a smaller percentage of available water for immediate consumption on average, holding more water over in storage for use in future periods, resulting in lower but more reliable allocations. Traditionally the Victorian government have tended to adopt more conservative release polices than the NSW government.

Aims:

Identify and describe the main water storage management options (centralised management, carryover and capacity sharing)
Explain why centralised management may lead to a less efficient allocation of water over time compared to decentralised management options
Outline the differences between carry over rights and capacity sharing systems and consider the potential advantages of capacity sharing
Develop a quantitative economic model to illustrate the potential benefits to irrigators (higher and less variable incomes) from adopting more decentralised storage management options
Conduct a detailed examination of capacity sharing schemes in Queensland (otherwise known as ‘continuous sharing’ schemes) particularly in the St George region
Contribute to and influence the debate on options available to governments to help irrigators adapt to lower and more variable water supplies under climate change

Review of Precision Irrigation Technologies and their Application

superuser — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:43:32 +0000

IDs and People

Program:

National Program for Sustainable Irrigation

Legacy (KMS) Project ID:

USQ5024

Host Organisation:

National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture (NCEA)

Researchers:

Rod Smith

Subjects

Subjects:

Irrigation

Keywords:

Precision

Prescription

Project Information

Summary:

Despite the widespread promotion and adoption of precision agriculture in dry land cropping systems, the concept of irrigation as a component of precision agricultural systems has not been widely canvassed. Irrigation application is commonly viewed as a less than precise activity and the potential for precision irrigation is yet to be adequately evaluated. This project will review irrigation research, existing technologies and the use of precision irrigation. It will include an assessment of the role of current irrigation application technologies in precision irrigation, variable rate applications, adaptive control and the sensing and decision support requirements. Opportunities for adoption, future research and extension needs will also be identified.

Outcomes:

The outcomes will depend on the results of the review and feedback through the course of the project.; The key outcome will be a direct and significant improvement in the knowledge and understanding of precision irrigation in the Australian irrigation industry. The specific outcomes will most likely include:

a clear direction for future research in precision irrigation
an indication of the opportunities and likely success of adapting current application systems to precision irrigation
a series of case studies that will provide an understanding of the factors that limit or promote innovation
an evaluation of the likely or potential social, economic and environmental benefits from precision irrigation

Current Activities

Status:

Active

Background

Project Background:

Precision irrigation is still in its infancy both in Australia and internationally. No cohesive frame work is available to guide research, development or adoption of precision irrigation and its associated sensing, control, and decision support technologies.

Aims:

The overall goal of the project is to provide guidance to the irrigation industry on the application of Precision Irrigation (PI) and associated technologies. Within that, the specific objectives of the project are to:

Review published and unpublished information on precision irrigation technologies including currently used technologies; emerging technologies; technologies adopted overseas (not in Australia)
Identify the opportunities, advantages, and limitations of the range of technologies that would be applicable to the implementation of precision irrigation
Identify relevance to industry including technology effectiveness, expertise required, industry understanding and perceptions, potential benefits, and priorities for R&D

Adaptive learning through five strands of root-zone knowledge

superuser — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:36:29 +0000

This project will demonstrate how the collection of five independent strands of irrigation data via a novel sensor and logging platform will link irrigator experience with measured data, link atmospheric scheduling with soil based monitoring, and link water management with solute management.

IDs and People

Program:

National Program for Sustainable Irrigation

Research Type:

Research Project

Legacy (KMS) Project ID:

CIF5033

Host Organisation:

CSIRO

Researchers:

Richard Stirzaker

Subjects

Subjects:

Salinity

Irrigation

Keywords:

electrical conductivity

Root-zone

Adaptive management

irrigation scheduling

Project Information

Outcomes:

Pioneer a different approach to irrigation management by linking grower knowledge with scientific data within an adaptive learning framework at seven sites
Provide new insights into irrigation management by linking atmosphere and soil based monitoring and by linking water and solute monitoring
Work alongside the private sector to develop the sensing and logging platform fit for commercial development and release.
Capture the above in a training module to be incorporated into the CRC “Solute Signatures” initiative and ensure all project participants attend training workshops or are involved in the development of the training module

Current Activities

Status:

Active

Background

Project Background:

The project rationale is to link five strands of knowledge that have traditionally been treated separately into an adaptive learning framework. The five strands are:

The knowledge of the irrigator based on accumulated experience
Potential crop water use as the thermodynamic limit to irrigation
Soil water status monitoring
Depth of wetting front penetration
Electrical conductivity at the wetting front

Aims:

To pioneer an adaptive learning framework for improving irrigation management
To engage the private sector to develop and build a prototype sensing and logging platform to collect the necessary data for the adaptive learning process
To deploy the sensing platform at seven locations in conjunction with local expert practitioners
To develop and deliver a training module in conjunction with the “solute signatures” initiative.

Farm Dam Management

superuser — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:30:38 +0000

This proposal will develop and deliver integrated farm dam management information to allow irrigation businesses to optimise the use and returns from farm dams.

IDs and People

Program:

National Program for Sustainable Irrigation

Research Type:

Research Project

Legacy (KMS) Project ID:

CIF5032

Host Organisation:

Cooperative Research Centre for Irrigation Futures

Researchers:

Deborah Atkins

Subjects

Subjects:

Data and Information

Landscape Management

Water (General)

Irrigation

Keywords:

Aquaculture

Evaporation

integration

seepage

drainage

recycling

Project Information

Outcomes:

Farm dam asset managed for optimal benefits by irrigation dependent businesses by:

Improving quality of advice available to farm managers from advisors and consultants
Increasing the effective irrigation water available from farm dams by providing accessible information and options for managing and reducing water losses,
Providing decision support tools where advisors, consultants and dam managers can assess technical and financial options for reducing excessive losses from drainage, seepage and evaporation,
Highlighting potential other usages of farm dams such as for water recycling and aquaculture.

Current Activities

Status:

Active

Current Activities:

The next 6 months will be in compiling Version 1 of the resource package. This will include list of resources, current research and links to information. There will be two field days for farmers in central NSW and North-east Victoria to pass on information on methods to estimate evaporation and seepage losses and methods to reduce losses. Training days will be available for advisors and consultants in using equipment and software and the latest research.
A Dam Evaporation Calculator that helps a person estimate the costs of mitigation techniques will be available on the CRCIF website along with a technical manual.
Three case studies will be started on dairy, horticulture and viticulture enterprises to present information on successful farm dam management.

Background

Project Background:

Australia has in excess of two million farm dams. In this project farm dams cover both structure which intercept water from watercourses and overland run-off and “on-farm” storages which pump water into dams, from rivers, groundwater or channels for storage.

Outside of major irrigation schemes and groundwater systems these provide an important source of irrigation water to the viticulture, horticulture and dairy industries. Farm dams also provide flexibility for growers to store water on-farm and optimise the use of water availability.

Farm dams management is becoming more important. The drought and subsequent water shortages has focused attention on managing water stored in farm dams. Further more, farm dams are being subject to greater controls in most jurisdictions.

Much of the information currently available has focused on construction of farm dams (eg Barrett 2007, Lewis 2002). This project addresses the need for information on the management of existing farm dams.

Aims:

To collate the most up-to-date resources on dam management
To create an integrated summary
To further develop the Dam Economic Ready Reckoner software and integrate an online tutorial
To improve the quality of advice given by advisors and consultants by offering information through the Farm Dam Resource Kit and training in using software

The effect of changing irrigation strategies on biodiversity

superuser — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:20:58 +0000

IDs and People

Program:

National Program for Sustainable Irrigation

Legacy (KMS) Project ID:

CSE5029

Host Organisation:

CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems

Researchers:

Sue McIntyre

Subjects

Subjects:

Water (General)

Irrigation

Biodiversity

Climate Change

Keywords:

environmental

Project Information

Summary:

The irrigation industry is facing substantial change that is likely to affect the quantity and timing of water supply, as well as the infrastructure involved in water delivery and use. Managing these changes without further compromising environmental sustainability requires knowledge of how irrigation practices effect local and regional biodiversity, and the implications for biodiversity persistence of possible changes in policies, district water management and farming methods. This project will identify likely changes to irrigation practice, predict how these changes might influence biodiversity in irrigated regions, and explore strategies to ameliorate any negative effects of predicted changes.

Outcomes:

The primary outcomes of this project will be:

Improved understanding of the relationships between biodiversity and irrigation practices and the potential effects of change in black box depressions and deflation basins
Strategies to ameliorate any negative effects on biodiversity of predicted changes to irrigation practices
Incorporation of this improved understanding and the strategies identified into decision-making and management at irrigation policy, supplier and farm scales

This incorporation may include changes to on-farm management practices, improved landscape planning strategies, modifications to irrigation infrastructure designs, strategies for the management of drainage waters, and modified policies relating to water management that incorporate better outcomes for biodiversity (e.g. relating to timing, quantities of flow). The potential for the project to be influential will be high, but diffuse, due to the complexity of paths to outcomes. There are also time lags between new knowledge and outcomes that generally exceed the life of the project.

Current Activities

Status:

Active

Current Activities:

During Spring and Summer 2008 we will be working with landholders, the Ricegrower’s Association of Australia, and Murrumbidgee Irrigation to further develop conceptual models and hypotheses, collect and collate existing data, select appropriate study sites, and conduct a pilot study to finalise the design and on-ground methods. We anticipate that this process will be followed by an intensive data collection period in Autumn 2009. We will also be involved in development of a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan for the project and selected communications activities.

Background

Project Background:

Irrigated agriculture in Australia’s Riverina consists of a variety of industries - rice, cereal, pulse and oilseed production, as well as livestock. Rice is the dominant crop, and is reliant on irrigation water supply from the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers, supplemented in some cases by underground water. Riverina irrigators are currently experiencing unprecedented restrictions on production due to water shortages. The current drought, together with the ramifications of the NSW environmental flow legislation of 1997, has resulted in irrigators receiving only a fraction of their water allocations.

The Riverina’s irrigation industries have significantly improved water use efficiency over the past 20 years through research and improved irrigation layouts. Given recent climate change projections (Australian Greenhouse Office 2003), and increasing pressure on water supplies, the need for even more efficient use of irrigation water in the future is certain. Options for reducing water use are being implemented or canvassed at both the enterprise and supply scales. Examples include changes in the cropping mix at an enterprise level, reduction or cessation of flooding of rice crops, fewer crops and more efficient water use. At the regional scale, changes to the nature of supply channels are possible, while the application of more efficient techniques may result in less drainage being received in regional wetlands.

Aims:

The overall aim of the project is to assess the impacts of changed irrigation practices on native biodiversity at local and regional scales, using the irrigation districts of the New South Wales Riverina as a case study.

More specifically, the objectives are to:

Identify likely changes to irrigation practices and patterns of water use through consultation with practitioners and stakeholders
Review the available information (including published literature) on the biodiversity of the natural and managed ecosystems of the Riverina
Predict the local and regional implications of changed irrigation practices for biodiversity persistence
Collect, collate and analyse new and existing information on biodiversity responses to irrigation practices
Predict the local and regional implications of changed irrigation practices for biodiversity persistence
Identify strategies which may help ameliorate any negative impacts for biodiversity that may occur

Channel Evaporation Mitigation

superuser — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:52:42 +0000

The project will develop the application of monolayers to reduce evaporation from irrigation channels.

IDs and People

Program:

National Program for Sustainable Irrigation

Legacy (KMS) Project ID:

GMW5034

Host Organisation:

Goulburn-Murray Water

Researchers:

Mike Schulz

Subjects

Subjects:

Monitoring and Assessment

Irrigation

Keywords:

Conservation

Climate

Surface water

Evaluation

Evaporation

Project Information

Outcomes:

At the estimated cost of $200-800/ML/year, evaporation control using monolayers has an application in channel systems, particularly in years when allocations are low. Determination of the potential savings and commercial costs, will allow more effective assessment of this technology.

Based on a 30% reduction in evaporation loss and 50% adoption, the potential benefit within the jurisdiction of G-MW is;

	Potential Water Saving (GL/year)	Potential Value (at $2,000/ML water saved)
Storages	48.0	$ 96.0 Million
Channels	11.0	$ 22.0 Million
Farm Storages	0.5	$ 0.5 Million
Total	59.5	$ 118.5 Million

Given that G-MW constitutes about 20% of gravity irrigation systems nationally, the benefit to the water industry nationally is considered to be a factor of 5-10 greater that outlined above.

Another outcome is improved measurement of evaporation losses in channels and storages, which is an issue in current water savings projects. The project will therefore reduce the uncertainty associated with estimating evaporation losses.

Current Activities

Status:

Active

Background

Project Background:

Water in open channels is subject to high evaporative losses. Some 66GL/annum of water is lost through evaporation from channels in Northern Victoria.

Research by University of Southern Queensland (USQ) has shown that applying small quantities of chemicals to form a surface film on water bodies is a cost-effective method of suppressing evaporation. Initial findings suggest that monolayers reduce evaporation by 35% at a cost between $200-800/ML/year, and that there is potential to further improve product performance to reach a target of $80/ML water saved. The potential water saving from the use of such monolayers on G-MW channels is approximately 11GL/year (assuming 30% evaporation suppression and application to 50% of channels).

Aims:

To develop rigorous methods to determine evaporation rates from channels
To determine the efficacy of monolayers when used on channels.
To develop application methods to apply evaporation suppressants to channels.
To better understand the control measures that should apply to minimise environmental impacts when using monolayers in irrigation channel systems.

Soil Management for Australian Irrigated Agriculture

superuser — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:42:55 +0000

IDs and People

Program:

National Program for Sustainable Irrigation

Research Type:

Research Project

Research Scale:

Farm

Legacy (KMS) Project ID:

SRP5026

Host Organisation:

Soils Research Pty Ltd

Researchers:

Bruce Cockroft

Subjects

Subjects:

Irrigation

Keywords:

Productivity

Soil structure

Project Information

Summary:

Australian soil structure deteriorates rapidly under irrigation with current management practices, resulting in inefficient water use and low yields. These soils lack the mineral montmorillonite present in those overseas soils which maintain porosity and stability under irrigation. This project aims to overcome this deficiency, developing new preparation and management practices enabling large inputs of stable soil organic matter.

Preliminary trials indicate this is feasible through incorporation of stable soil sheaths (rhizosheaths) formed on ryegrass roots. Physical, chemical and biological factors enhancing rhizosheath formation will be investigated to best harness rhizosheath development to improve water use efficiency and irrigated crop yields.

Outcomes:

The benefits of the project will be increased yields, cheaper and simpler orchard and row crop soil management. Reduced water use per tonne of plant product. Improved soil. High carbon sequestration – soil organic carbon increase from 1% to 4%. Improved knowledge on soil management.

Current Activities

Status:

Active

Background

Project Background:

Irrigated agriculture in Australia performs poorly in the dollars it generates. This is because the yields of nearly all crops and fodder are low compared with potential; but also because of low cost, low return (per ha and per Ml) grazing industries. Examples of Australian average and best overseas yields include maize 10t/ha v 40 (dry wt.), Tomatoes 45t/ha v 160 and pears 35 v 180. To consider potential productivity we should not only compare our results with what others can achieve; the ultimate limitation to plant productivity is the available solar radiation.

This is expressed as the conversion of incoming energy to plant dry matter: 6% conversion is possible on farm, 12% has been achieved. A 4% conversion in southern Australian irrigation areas to plant dry matter would give 64t/ha which is 5 times the current yield of, for example, perennial pasture. Cockroft and Mason (1987) discuss this and give examples of a range of crops.

Aims:

To develop a new system of soil management for irrigated orchards, row crops and pastures that increases yields two to three times current (Table 2. System 5) and at the same time improves the soil resource. Is cheap and simple to set up and manage. Is applicable to all Australian irrigation including row crops and the dairying industry. Is equal in productivity to the very best of the best soils overseas e.g. In California and Yangtze delta, that we call ”super soils”.