deep

Irrigation Update Volume 9

In this issue:

• Investigating the Salt of the Earth
• Digging deep and the quest for super soils
• Linking irrigator experience with measured data
• NPSI News

Coordinating Deep Drainage Research in the Northern Darling Basin - Final Report

A key issue identified by the research community working with the cotton industry was the lack of understanding and acceptance of the concept of deep drainage. Deep drainage is defined as the part of the water (applied to the surface and as rainfall or irrigation) that moves past the rootzone. In general the existing paradigm was “cotton soils don’t leak”. However, the research community related to the Australian Cotton CRC (ACCRC) (more)...

LongStop

The FullStop Wetting Front Detector was designed to be a simple, inexpensive and robust device that gives a yes/no response to whether a wetting front has reached a particular depth. When searching for simplicity and low cost, tradeoffs need to be made with sensitivity; in the case of FullStop the decision was made to detect a 2 kPa strength wetting front. From a theoretical perspective, the FullStop Wetting Front Detector is not well suited to furrow irrigation, deep placement, cracking (more)...

Deep Drainage and Nitrate Losses under Native Vegetation and Agricultural Systems in the Mediterranean Climate Region of Australia

Opportunities to breed/select/bioengineer Plant Species to Control Deep Drainage and Nutrient Leakage

Irrigation Insights 2 - Subsurface Drainage Design and Management Practices in Irrigated Areas of Australia

It is widely understood that irrigation development results in deep percolation past the rootzone, which recharges the groundwater. With flood irrigation, watertables often rise at around 0.5 m a year until a new equilibrium is established where the watertable fluctuates from the soil surface to around 3 m deep. A significant part of all irrigation areas in Australia are currently in this condition or approaching such equilibrium. Irrigation areas in southeastern Australia, particularly in the Murray (more)...

Measuring the effects of improving water use efficiency on root zone salinity

Since the end of 2003 a tri-state syndicate of government agencies from western NSW, Victoria and South Australia has been working on a strategy to manage this salinity hazard. This Research Bulletin draws on some of the findings to date, focusing on results of monitoring root zone salinity and deep drainage in sprinkler and drip-irrigated citrus orchards and vineyards.