Improving Irrigation Efficiency In the Australian Cotton Industry -

A Grower Led Approach

IAL Conference, Adelaide June 2012

Key presentation points

• Background• The concept• The team• The trials• Achievements• Future

Background

• Low water availability• Growers looking a ways to increase

production with less water• 90% irrigation techniques were

flood/siphon• No valley specific research or examples of

others technologies

The project

• Sort funding from National Water Commission

• Timeframe 2008-2012• Approximately $500,000 of funding• To improve the irrigation efficiency in

the Gwydir and nationally within the Australian Cotton Industry

• Grower-led approach

The team

• National Water Commission

• The Gwydir Valley Irrigators Association – staff and executive (past/present)

• Trial hosts – Sundown Pastoral Co and Australian Food and Fibre Limited

• NSW DPI – Janelle Montgomery

• Guy Roth

• GVIA Committee• Gwydir Valley

Irrigators • Other growers

• CSIRO• CSD• Yara

Nipro

• Netafim• Aquatec

h• DPI• NSWIC

The concept

• Championed irrigators showing irrigators• Grass-roots ideas with robust

application• Focus on practical information• Direct industry linkages• Flexibility to allow the project to

evolve overtime

Trial program overview

Off-season Trials

2008:Telleraga Trial

2010:Redbank Trial

Core Trial

2009: Keytah Trial, first season

2011: Keytah Trial,

second season replication

Off-season trials

• Focus on improving efficiency of furrow irrigation

• Pipe through bank trial at Telleraga, Moree

• Limited water and row-configuration trial at Redbank, Moree

• One-on-one consultations to reducing losses from on-farm storages

• Highly collaborative

Core trial - Keytah

• Established and operated four system comparison trial

• On-farm at Keytah, Moree

• Commercial scale

Keytah trial design

• 11 Ha• Small

scale

Drip

• 32 Ha• Rooftop

design

Bankless channel

• 123 Ha• Replicated

Lateral

• 86 Ha• Control

Furrow/siphon

2009-2010 Season

• Holistic water accounting• Benchmarking• Management streamlined and

consistent• Variables minimised – soils,

climate, chemicals and fertilizer

2009-2010 Summary

2009-2010 Lessons

• Established process, tested the concept• Challenges• Operational and management• Soil type variation• Crop establishment• Water monitoring technology• Scale

2011-2012 Season

• Replication of the Keytah Trial• Accepted inherent design challenges• New aim to optimise each system

individually and tailor management• Remained focussed on holistic water

assessment• Included demonstration of water-

balance technology as water accounting ‘back-up’

2011-2012 Progress

• Seasonal challenges with extensive flooding and reduced temperatures during growing periods

• Interim results assumptions:• Using field techniques to estimate

yield• C-probe data used to determine

effective rainfall• Residual soil moisture

2011-2012 Summary

2011-2012 Season

• All yields (where crops were not lost) were high – reflective of the season

• Performance of the Bankless assisted by luck

• Lateral move showed continued high performance

• Furrow system appears to be most consistent

2011-2012 Season

• Challenges• Germination issues• Equipment failure• Management issues with new

technologies were mostly avoided• Difficult season for water accounting

Two-season Comparison

Achievements

• Demonstration of a grower-led approach• Relevant• Practical

• Adaptive project management • Real opportunities to improve existing

technologies• Locally specific information for decision

making

Achievements

• Communication• Broad-ranging

education and extension activities

• Hands-on extension opportunities

• Multi-media reporting

Acknowledgements

• National Water Commission – highly supportive and flexible

• Farm hosts considerable in-kind contribution and outside the scope of original project

• External contributors and advice

Future

• Recognition of the investment in establishing the trial

• Growers locally want more seasons of data

• Sundown Pastoral Co ad Gwydir Valley Irrigators Association maintained committed

• Currently, Cotton Research and Development Corporation have provide preliminary advice for funding in 2013/2014 season

Further Information

• Final reports for 2009-10 and 2010-2011 trials

• Final Report for 2011-2012 season available September 2012

• Brochures – due to be updated with new results• Specific Drip brochure • Specific Bankless Channel brochure• Specific Lateral brochure• Specific Furrow/Siphon brochure• Overall Brochure with final results

• DVDwww.gvia.org.au