All in Land Management

Impact of Minimal Vineyard Irrigation Strategies on Soil and Plant Sustainability

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:06:59 +0000

The techniques developed by Clarke (2003) will be used to quantify and then model (eg using LEACHM & VineLOGIC) the long-term impact of irrigation with moderately saline irrigation water using a range of drip application techniques in combination with different surface soil management approaches on soil chemical & physical properties, plant physiological performance and wine grape quality through wine and analytical assessment.

IDs and People

Program:

National Program for Sustainable Irrigation

Legacy (KMS) Project ID:

USQ9

Host Organisation:

University of Southern Queensland on behalf of the CRCIF

Researchers:

Andrew Sanderson

Rick Darroch

Matthew Durack

Subjects

Subjects:

Salinity

Soils

Primary Industries

Irrigation

Keywords:

Land Management

rainfall

Wine

Project Information

Outcomes:

Practical vineyard management options that:

maximise vineyard water use efficiency
minimise long-term vine rootzone salinisation under precision irrigation application techniques.
enable wine grape growers to confidently grow grapes to winery specification using environmentally sustainable production systems

Current Activities

Status:

Complete

Background

Project Background:

Environmental pressures such as salinity and prolonged drought condition in the Murray Darling Basin have created a widespread recognition that irrigated water consumption has to be reduced to an environmentally sustainable level. Recently developed irrigation techniques such as drip irrigation and RDI have achieved widespread adoption and there are now about 100,000 ha of drip /micro systems irrigated vineyard in Australia. The winegrape industry is aiming to further improve WUE through other management techniques such as the use of surface mulch, Partial Rootzone Drying, subsurface drip irrigation and sophisticated soil water monitoring technologies.

There is some evidence that reducing the irrigation volume through precision irrigation techniques may have long-term negative impacts. In low rainfall areas where winter leaching is not sufficient, reduced irrigation could result in excessive salt accumulation in the root zone and also impact on soil properties, eventually compromising vineyard health and economic sustainability. A number of alternatives to the traditional drip irrigation approach of a lateral line suspended on a wire about 30 cm above the soil surface have been proposed in an effort to reduce soil structural decline and rootzone salinisation. Subsurface drip irrigation may provide potential benefits in situations where moderately saline water is used for vineyard irrigation such as in the lower reaches of the Murray Darling Basin.

Aims:

Quantify the soil salinity profile under a range of irrigation application & soil management practises in a wine grape vineyard in the lower reaches of the River Murray at Langhorne Creek SA.
Assess the effectiveness of winter rainfall in leaching accumulated salts from vine rootzones irrigated with differing irrigation application systems.
Determine the effects of these management practices on crop water use, vine performance and winegrape quality.
Develop simple predictive models to test and identify a range of management scenarios that will minimise vine rootzone salinisation without significantly increasing vineyard irrigation requirement.

Improved Seasonal Forecasts for Wool Producers in Australia’s Pastoral Zone

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 06:34:58 +0000

IDs and People

Program:

Land, Water and Wool

Program Theme:

Climate Variability

Research Type:

Demonstration Project

Research Scale:

State

Legacy (KMS) Project ID:

QNR30

Subjects

Subjects:

Climate (General)

Livestock (Sheep)

Livestock (Pastoral)

Landscape Management

Keywords:

Woolgrowers

Land Management

Stocking Rate

Climate Variability

Pastures

Seasonal Forecasting

Project Information

Summary:

Much of Australia’s rangelands are characterised by extreme climate variability which represents a major challenge for woolgrowers. In order to maintain or increase productivity while minimising negative environmental impacts on the land, producers need access to reliable seasonal climate forecast (SCF) information at critical times for key management decisions.

Current Activities

Status:

Pending

Background

Aims:

The objective of Improved Seasonal Forecasts for Wool Producers in Australia’s Pastoral Zone was to support and provide tools for the regional Managing Climate Variability Sup-program projects. It aimed to make SCF products more relevant to producers and their advisors through pasture growth simulation and prediction using Aussie GRASS, a national spatial pasture growth program.

Location

State & NRM Region:

New South Wales

Queensland

South Australia

Western Australia

Victoria

Geographic Zone:

Broadacre: Wheat-Sheep

Broadacre: Pastoral

Profitable, biodiverse wool production systems for the Northern Tablelands (NSW)

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 05:22:46 +0000

IDs and People

Program:

Land, Water and Wool

Program Theme:

Native Vegetation and Biodiversity

Research Type:

Research Project

Research Scale:

Region

Subjects

Subjects:

Rivers and Wetlands

Threats and Pests

Landscape Management

Weeds

Conservation

Keywords:

Woolgrowers

Land Management

Riparian

Native Vegetation

Biodiversity

Natural Resource Management

Project Information

Summary:

A significant number of the world’s premium fine woolgrowers operate on New South Wales’ Northern Tablelands, which covers 2.5 million hectares and carries four million sheep. Over 1000 woolgrowers operate in the region, with granite, trap and basalt soil types and predominantly summer rainfall.

Current Activities

Status:

Pending

Background

Aims:

Profitable, biodiverse wool productions systems focused on productive management of native vegetation - an increasing priority for the region’s woolgrowers. The project aimed to develop solutions to natural resource management issues such as native tree dieback, unpalatable invasive weeds, gully erosion, compromised riparian vegetation and water quality, vertebrate pests and a decline in biodiversity, all of which have the potential to impact on farm productivity and profitability.

Case Studies

[view:insert_by_tag==product,1898]

Northern Tablelands Factsheets

[view:insert_by_tag==product,1822]

Location

State & NRM Region:

New South Wales

Locations:

Northern Tablelands

Optimising wool production and profitability in the Mid-North riparian areas

superuser — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 04:23:50 +0000

This project measured the effectiveness of alternative stock management and other rehabilitation methods that aim to improve pasture and wool quality from riparian areas. It quantified as far as possible the costs and benefits of these methods, and provided practical guidance to woolgrowers on how to implement them to improve both production and environmental management.

IDs and People

Program:

Land, Water and Wool

Program Theme:

Rivers and Water Quality

Research Type:

Research Project

Research Scale:

Region

Subjects

Subjects:

Conservation

Landscape Management

Salinity

Livestock (Sheep)

Rivers and Wetlands

Keywords:

Woolgrowers

Land Management

Riparian

Environmental Management

Native Vegetation

Sustainable Grazing

Pastures

Increase production

Project Information

Summary:

Current Activities

Status:

Complete

Background

Project Background:

Rivers and their adjacent riparian areas in much of the Mid-North of South Australia were once prime grazing country, typified by native grasslands and fresh water. These areas are now showing increasing signs of stress and degradation, including rising river salinity and reduced pasture productivity.

Aims:

The aim of this project was to assist wool producers in the Mid-North region of SA to determine the most cost-effective way to manage riparian frontages, optimising profit and production, while also improving the condition of pastures and native vegetation, channel banks and the creek environment.

Location

State & NRM Region:

South Australia

Geographic Zone:

Broadacre: Wheat-Sheep