root

Salinity management practice guidelines

A better understanding of plant requirements and the highly efficient management of water has led irrigators to apply water to accurately meet crop needs. This has meant a considerable reduction in the amount of water flushing through the root-zone. As a result, soil salinity levels have risen. Current drought conditions and low water allocations are likely to result in even less water being used to flush salts from the root-zone. The declining quality of water resources means that actively removing (more)...

Root Zone Salinity Risks in the Lower Murray Districts

As a result of improved irrigation management and systems, growers in the Lower Murray (Riverland-Sunraysia) horticultural region have improved their water use efficiency (WUE) over the past two decades from about 50% to about 80%. However a negative consequence of this achievement is the emerging risk of salinity build-up in the root zone, threatening the sustainability of the region (Biswas et al. 2005a; Biswas et al. 2005b). The amount of irrigation applied must account for (more)...

Salinity impact on Lower Murray horticulture

The project was developed to test the hypothesis: ‘a depressed leaching efficiency (LE) in the Lower Murray irrigation districts raises the root zone salinity and, improved water use efficiency (WUE) has an upper limit determined by that field’s LE and its variance’. The specific objectives were to: Determine/update the salinity relationships for irrigated horticulture along the Lower (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.

Subsurface Irrigation

Australian studies show an average of 30% of applied irrigation water passes through the root zone without being used by the crops it is intended to sustain. This water either becomes groundwater recharge or is intercepted by drainage networks and contributes to waterway pollution. Subsurface drip irrigation has shown great potential for increasing crop yield and uniformity, while decreasing water use and environmental impact. Importantly, subsurface irrigation applies water directly to the (more)...

Scoping Study: Improving plants' water use efficiency and potential impacts from soil structure change - research investment opp

The key questions addressed by this scoping study are:

• What understanding, techniques and tools require further explanation or development to improve water use efficiency?
• How well do we understand the impacts of long-term irrigation on soil structure? What are the effects of soil structure change (within and around the root zone on the flow of water and rate of movement along various pathways of salts?

Scoping Study: Soil-water and salt movement associated with precision irrigation systems - research investment opportunities

The Board of the National Program for Sustainable Irrigation commissioned this scoping document to assist in its research investment deliberations. The key question addressed by this scoping study is: What has to be developed or modified to understand and monitor the three dimensional flow of water and salt movement in: (a) the root zone when precision irrigation systems are used, and (b) the soil profile, assuming that we are able to manage the preferred salt storage zones? (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)...