Farmers' Newsletter No 170, Spring 2005
For other issues see here
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| IREC |
20 tonne target for irrigators (143 K)
- Irrigators of the southern Murray-Darling Basin are being challenged to produce 20 t/ha each year
- Four new projects in the region will assist irrigators by providing information, field testing crop options and rotations, and demonstrating irrigation systems, to determine the best practices for highly profitable, highly productive and sustainable irrigation farming
- The project outcomes will be relevant and practical to irrigators in the Lachlan, Murrumbidgee, Murray and Goulburn valleys of NSW and Victoria
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| Roy Sainty (107 K) |
Overcoming the pressures of modern horticulture (143 K)
- Five Riverina horticulture businesses have demonstrated success in different ways despite the challenges of falling prices, maximising input efficiency and meeting consumer demands
- Through a partnership agreement, two neighbours agreed to share the costs associated with the installation and operation of a state-of-the-art irrigation system, to take advantage of economies of scale
- Another business has developed a risk management strategy to manage watertables and ensure sustainability
- Some of the finalists demonstrated that effectively-managed surface irrigation systems can achieve good returns per megalitre
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| CROP OPTIONS AND MANAGEMENT |
The azuki roller coaster (168 K)
- Azuki beans are a high value summer pulse crop sold on the export market
The crop has quick maturity that allows double cropping with winter crops and therefore a potentially very profitable and flexible rotation
- There are production and market risks associated with azuki beans that result in a disappointing number of growers losing money every year
- Key agronomic requirements must be met to grow high yielding azuki beans
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The challenges of organic soybean production in the Riverina (180 K)
- Three years of trials at Yanco determined that the main impediment to successful organic soybean production was finding effective control options for green vegetable bug (Nezara viridula)
- A combination of cultural and conservation biological control with strategic bio-pesticide application can provide adequate control of species such as Helicoverpa sp, however more research is required to develop an integrated program to successfully control green vegetable bug
- Organic farms have a greater number and diversity of predatory insects than conventional farms but more research is needed to design agroecosystems which favour the presence and persistence of these beneficials and deter pests from the main crop
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Murray Valley farmers' drive rice systems research (161 K)
- A group of Murray Valley irrigators is taking the lead in directing research and investigation into the issues most concerning local farming systems
- Water use efficiency and soil health have been identified as the two highest priority issues
- One demonstration showed that irrigation layouts where water was on and off wheat in 15 hours had a 1.3 t/ha yield advantage over slower draining situations
- Mustard was investigated as an alternative dryland crop, and it clearly demonstrated its superiority over canola in the very dry conditions of 2004
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Thousands of crop records (102 K)
- Cropcheck will allow you to access more than 8500 crop records, showing the practices of top yielding crops, to improve the practices, yields and profits of other crops
- Cropcheck is a tool for use by farmers', agronomists and agribusiness
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| IRRIGATION |
Lucerne benefits from subsurface drip irrigation (151 K)
- Productivity and water efficiency of lucerne can be improved by 20–30% with subsurface drip irrigation (SDI)
- The first four cuts of first-season lucerne under SDI averaged 3.3 t/ha/cut with a water use efficiency (Nov–Feb) of 2.1 t/ML or 50 mm of water per tonne of hay
- SDI systems must be fine-tuned to the soil type and climate for maximum productivity and efficiency
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Influence of drip irrigation on onion yield and quality (166 K)
- Mild onions show very good potential in the southern areas of Australia but effects of irrigation management on yield and quality are not well understood
- A replicated trial on a sand hill at Yanco showed significant differences in marketable yield between different irrigation treatments; highest marketable yield was recorded for plots that were drip irrigated at 2 day intervals
- A trial on heavier soils had highest marketable yield with furrow irrigated treatments, but the block showed a high degree of salinity which may have affected the crop, particularly in the drip irrigated treatment
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Effect of deficit irrigation on TSS in tomatoes (183 K)
- A series of trials in California concluded that deficit irrigation of processing tomatoes applied from first colour can improve total soluble solids at harvest without significantly lowering yield
- A trial in the Riverina was able to maintain yield, compared with a commercial block, with irrigation at 50% ETo replacement, and maximise total soluble solids
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Maize under sprinkler, drip and furrow irrigation (216 K)
- Productivity and water efficiency of lucerne can be improved by 20–30% with subsurface drip irrigation (SDI)
- The first four cuts of first-season lucerne under SDI averaged 3.3 t/ha/cut with a water use efficiency (Nov–Feb) of 2.1 t/ML or 50 mm of water per tonne of hay
- SDI systems must be fine-tuned to the soil type and climate for maximum productivity and efficiency
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Groundwater quality in the Murray irrigation districts (170 K)
- The quality of most deep groundwater supplies in the Murray irrigation districts is either marginal or poor for continuous irrigation and use of such water could lead to water infiltration problems
- Potential problems of deep groundwater are primarily due to salt content, sodium adsorption ratio, residual alkalinity or bicarbonates, and an unfavourable Mg:Ca ratio
- Further research is needed to evaluate models and guidelines that relate groundwater chemistry to its potential impact on soils, so safe recommendations for irrigation can be made
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| WEEDS |
Sagittaria - the new threat to southern waterways (244 K)
- Sagittaria blocks waterways and reduces the effectiveness of water distribution systems, and potentially alters the ecology and undermines the biodiversity of creeks and wetlands
- More than $250,000 is spent annually to manage this weed in irrigation channels on both sides of the Murray River, where it has a significant impact on the provision of water for irrigation
- There is a clear need for all land and water managers to recognise the growing impact this weed is having or potentially could have if left to its own devices
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The ugly side of alligator weed (187 K)
- A tour of alligator weed infested areas in the lower Hunter Valley by a group from Griffith reinforced the need to be proactive in controlling the weed, ie continual monitoring of high risk sites and quick responses to any outbreaks
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| FARM BUSINESS |
The effect of different water allocations on rice farm profitability in the MIA (133 K)
- A new economic model has provided an insight into the impact of reduced water allocations on the profitability of a typical MIA rice farm
- Analysis shows that on average, a typical rice farmer spends 65% of the total farm gross margin, at 100% water allocation, to cover overhead and operational costs
- At a 30% water allocation, the total farm gross margin would not be sufficient to even cover whole farm overheads
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| PEOPLE |
Focussing on the better half on the land (187 K)
- A discussion group for women has formed at Griffith to provide farming women with better information, skills and understanding of crops and farming systems, to build their confidence to become more involved with their farm business
- The group aims to improve basic farming knowledge and skills in a friendly supportive atmosphere, as well as provide networking with other women in a similar situation
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Irrigation skills initiative (276 K)
- A partnership has been formed between the irrigation associations and the Australian government to develop a national certification and training framework and an information network for the irrigation industry
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| RESOURCES |
EM31 or EM38 for rice soil assessment (164 K)
- EM38 and EM31 surveys for salinity and soil suitability for rice growing are conducted regularly
- Soil sampling sites for salinity, rice land suitability assessment or precision agriculture purposes, can be selected based on surveys from either EM instrument
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Coleambally LWMP five year review (370 K)
- Without the actions prescribed in the LWMP, it was estimated that the area of Coleambally underlain by shallow watertables would be 50,000 ha by 2013
- Progress with implementing on-farm LWMP works has been steady over the first five years but it is now obvious that some of the time-lines for achieving targets were very ambitious
- A number of new recommendations have been developed for a revised LWMP with strong emphasis on net recharge management and improving local biodiversity
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Crop management response to a net recharge quota (135 K)
- Watertable management could be addressed through instigating a scheme where irrigators could buy and sell recharge credits, under the guidelines of a recharge cap and trade framework
- Three farmers' from the Coleambally Irrigation Area participated in a case study and indicated that they would participate in such a market to manage recharge on their own farms
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Getting the balance right - water policy and management implications (140 K)
- The paper discusses the balance in the water debate and policy, between the use of water for agriculture and the use of water for urban, industrial, environmental, and recreational purposes
- There is evidence for better water use effectiveness by irrigators in recent years, and the value of irrigation production at regional and national levels is well recognised
- In the current debate, irrigators need to increase their direct involvement with managing the rivers and the dependent ecosystems to achieve a better balance between the productive use of irrigation water and the maintenance of the wider values associated with the same water
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