Farmers' Newsletter No 176, spring 2007
For other issues see here
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| INDUSTRY ACHIEVERS |
Irrigated farm competition winners revisited (664 K)
- On the 20th Anniversary of the IREC Irrigated Farm Competition, all the winners of the competition over the years have been showcased to track the changes in their farms and businesses since winning the competition. The event was marked with the Irrigation Showcase on 31 July, 2007 in Griffith. This article reports on where the winners are now, how their farming systems have or haven’t changed and their views on irrigated agriculture into the future.
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Lifetime achiever - Clive Polkinghorne (135 K)
- Surveyor Clive Polkinghorne is the latest recipient of the IREC Lifetime Achievement Award
- Clive has been involved with the surveying aspects of irrigation development and design in the Murrumbidgee Valley for over 50 years
- The award recognises Clive’s individual efforts and the fundamental role that surveyors have had in contributing to the success of irrigation in the region
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Well done & good luck Nell Snaidero (154 K)
- After 18 years of being the face and soul of IREC Nell Snaidero has handed in the keys and is taking off with husband Nud to explore unchartered terrain of Australia and next year, to discover people and places across the northern hemisphere.
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| CROP MANAGEMENT |
Soil carbon investigation (195 K)
- Increasing the amount of organic matter throughput (ie the rate at which organic matter is added to the soil to be broken down and recycled) over a period of several years, will boost soil organic carbon levels
- The research reported in this article suggests that soil carbon can be increased by 0.4% (eg a measurement of 1% would increase to 1.4%) by increasing the amount of above- plus below-ground organic matter by 2 t/ha/year, and maintaining this extra input for 10 years
- Across the range of soil types tested, the value of soil carbon can explain approximately 60% of the variation in soil structure (measured as water stable aggregates)
- When soil carbon levels are below 2%, small increases in the carbon level can result in substantial improvements in soil structure (measured as water stable aggregates) – it is reasonable to use 2% soil carbon as a threshold at which optimal soil structure has been achieved
- Higher organic matter systems are likely to result in equal or better yields
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Double cropping with soybeans (210 K)
- New and ongoing research shows that soybeans are an excellent choice for double cropping situations in the Murrumbidgee Valley, helping to maximise returns on a per megalitre basis
- This article features three case studies of successful double cropping enterprises in which soybeans are a critical component of the system, both agronomically and financially
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Foliar fertilisers trialled on cotton (192 K)
- Liquid foliar nutrients have many claimed benefits such as increased crop vigour, waterlogging tolerance and increased yield potential
- In a trial conducted at Hillston in 2006, foliar fertiliser treatments did not result in a significant increase in crop yield over the control
- The trial was conducted in a very high yielding field, which may have had an impact on the results observed by additional fertilisers
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Chickpeas performing well in southern NSW (179 K)
- Chickpeas are establishing a firm place in cropping rotations in southern New South Wales due to new varieties with improved disease resistance
- Chickpeas offer a good alternative to other cropping options with the ability to handle very hot conditions during flowering and pod fill
- Chickpeas have proven to be a profitable part of a rotation for a mixed farming business near Deniliquin
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Safflower potential for winter & spring sowing (166 K)
- Safflower is proving to be a versatile crop in winter cereal rotations in a range of cropping environments in the eastern states of Australia
- Field trials in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia confirm that safflower is a viable crop option, particularly on pre-watered sites or sites with good soil moisture prior to sowing
- Safflower is in demand for producing table margarine, mayonnaise, and salad and cooking oils, and recently has been used as a crop platform to produce proteins for the manufacture of drugs and non-drug products, most notably human insulin
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Winter cereal yield lift challenge (147 K)
- A series of trial sites was established and planted to wheat, durum, barley and triticale in May 2007 as part of a new ICF project, supported by GRDC, to identify varieties to lift irrigated winter cereal yields
- The trials will be managed for a target yield of 10 t/ha
- Field days will be held in late October and early November 2007, subject to water availability
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Rice production with less water (160 K)
- This Nuffield study overviewed work in several countries that is attempting to adopt aerobic and alternate-wetand- dry (AWD) rice systems to increase water use efficiency
- The application of such systems in Australian rice growing has potential to lead to a 15–30% increase in water use efficiency, from evaporation savings
- Success of aerobic or AWD systems in Australia would require the rice industry to assess and adopt aerobic germplasm, refine AWD nitrogen management, consider Clearfield™ technology for broadleaf weed control and redefine rice soil suitability for AWD systems
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| WEED MANAGEMENT |
Understanding the sagittaria threat (148 K)
- Sagittaria has been present in the irrigation areas of northern Victoria and southern New South Wales since the 1960s, and has been an increasing problem since the 1980s
- In NSW, sagittaria is declared as a Class 4 and Class 5 noxious weed under the Noxious Weeds Act 1993
- Despite concerted efforts, sagittaria has continued to spread, blocking irrigation channels and waterways, threatening water supply and biodiversity
- It spreads rapidly, blocking irrigation channels and consequently impeding water flow, and has the potential to choke out watercourses and wetlands
- It is not easily controlled by mechanical methods or herbicides registered for use in aquatic situations
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| IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT |
Impact of rain & flood on watertables (322 K)
- The Wakool Irrigation District has experienced a history of watertable rise, including likely contributions from widespread rainfall and flooding
- CSIRO was commissioned to quantify the contributions of rainfall and flooding on shallow groundwater, compared to on-farm management, to help develop targeted management actions to control watertable rise and salinity in the area
- In analysing rainfall-recharge relationships it was found that recharge occurred once rainfall in Wakool increased above 350 mm per annum
- A review of flooding across the region showed that areas which have previously been inundated are the first to be affected by watertable rise in subsequent flood events
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Certificate of Irrigation Management (120 K)
- The Irrigation Association of Australia believes that its new certification program sets benchmarks for the minimum set of skills for people operating, managing or installing irrigation systems as well as those who provide advice in this area. For example, Certified Irrigation Managers have proven that they have the skills needed to ensure that the right amount of water is applied to a crop at the right time with the least impact on the environment.
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Understanding water use in vineyards (248 K)
- Water use requirements of grapevines are an important issue when planning and scheduling water application
- This paper provides locally derived crop coefficient information for drip irrigated vineyards
- Weather based irrigation scheduling has the potential to provide useful information to vineyard owners at low cost
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Drip irrigation performance assessed (234 K)
- Drip irrigation systems are theoretically very efficient at applying water evenly, with high distribution uniformities claimed by many manufacturers
- In commercial field situations these expectations are not always met
- Non-uniformity in applied water can have a significant impact on yield and berry quality parameters
- Techniques for identifying drip irrigation system performance range from simplistic field-based ‘catch cans’ to using satellite vegetation measurements for identifying changes in vine growth throughout the vineyard
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Salinity distribution under drip irrigation (207 K)
- A study of drip irrigation in MIA vineyards was undertaken to assess the build-up of soil salinity
- At all vineyards it was found that salt concentrations in the root zone were below vine tolerance thresholds of 1.5 dS/m
- The results also showed that the salt concentrations in soils under drip irrigation actually tended to decrease with time, especially in between the rows – the inter-row area that was no longer watered
- It would appear that there is little danger of salt accumulation in the root zone in this context, probably due to the low salinity of the irrigation water source in the MIA (between 0.05 to 0.15 dS/m) and the potential for leaching by rainfall
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Local programs to manage natural resources (159 K)
- Sustainable management of natural resources is the objective of a project being undertaken by Murrumbidgee Horticultural Council
- The project strives to increase community awareness of environmental challenges and changes; empower rural women to take an active role in on-farm chemical management and reporting; and develop an active water benchmarking network for young irrigators using current technologies
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| Introducing the Bondi Group (89 K) |
| REGULARS |
| Chairman’s foreword |
| IREC Executive Committee |
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