moisture

Climate change and water use of native vegetation

Under climate change conditions Australia will generally be hotter and, for many parts of the country drier. Vegetation water use is strongly influenced by soil moisture availability (which is influenced by rainfall) and evaporative demand. Soil moisture will be more scarce in the future across much of the continent due to declining rainfall. The major input of water into the Australian landscape is rainfall and most rainfall (70–95%) returns to the atmosphere as (more)...

How much water does a woodland or plantation use: a review of some measurement methods

Determining the water balance of a landscape is important to sustainable management of water, vegetation and land resources. Water flow through vegetation is the principle pathway for the discharge of water from Australian landscapes. The rate of this discharge is determined by solar radiation, leaf area index, vapour pressure deficit and soil moisture content. Tree transpiration from plantations and native woodlands and forests is an important determinant of the water balance of much of the (more)...

Waterwheel Newsletter 12

Development of value selection method for choosing between alternative soil moisture sensors

The Australian Irrigation Technology Centre (AITC) identified in its 1993 [1] survey of irrigators the low level of adoption of soil moisture sensing devices (less than 7%), despite there being a number of soil water sensors which could be used by irrigators to help schedule irrigation. There is a large range of devices available commercially which make various claims about measuring and monitoring soil moisture status. The operation of these devices is based on a (more)...

Open Hydroponics - Risks and Opportunities - Stage 1 Project Findings Overview

Open Hydroponics (OH) is an innovative horticultural management program with over 2700ha currently being adopted in Australia and presents an opportunity for more sustainable production (economic and environmental). Conventional drip irrigation growers are also adopting selected Open Hydroponic principles, which use similar practices and carry the same possible benefits and environmental risks. OH aims to increase productivity by (more)...