Farming systems and production management
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Research outcomes: Growers and harvesters benefit from the ongoing research in productivity improvement, production management and agronomical techniques. Developed technologies and management practices that enhance productivity and demonstrate a high rate of return on investment.
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Item Modernisation of furrow irrigation in the sugar industry : Final report 2014/079(Sugar Research Australia Limited, 2017) Gillies, MIrrigation is an essential part of sugarcane production in many of the sugarcane regions in Australia. Like all agricultural industries, the Australian sugarcane industry is under continuous pressure to demonstrate that it is using water resources in a profitable and responsible manner. Much of the industry is situated on the Queensland coast in close proximity to the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon, which increases the importance of good management and minimising offsite impacts. The industry has been proactive in this regard, most recently through the Smartcane BMP programme. These initiatives are a formal recognition that growers are actively engaging with the principles of sustainability and minimising adverse environmental outcomes.Item Evaluating alternative irrigation for a greener future(2011) Hesp, CThe potential agronomic and environmental benefits of green cane harvesting and trash blanketing, the ongoing issues of nutrients and pesticides threatening the Great Barrier Reef, the rising ground water levels in the area, and water use efficiency issues, prompted the progressive MAFIA grower group to conceptualise a project to trial alternative irrigation systems and compare them with the conventional furrow irrigation system. A lateral move irrigation system was established on the Hesp property, in the Mulgrave farming area in the Burdekin, to irrigate sugarcane throughout a full 4 year crop cycle. This system was compared to conventional furrow and, on a nearby property, a drip irrigation system. The sites were extensively instrumented to measure parameters that would enable the water and nutrient balance to be monitored on the furrow and lateral move irrigated fields. Importantly, an intensive economic analysis was conducted to provide a guide to the economic evaluation of the three systems. Overall the results of the trial indicated that it was indeed possible to grow large sugarcane crops under the lateral move and drip irrigation systems, and that these crops could be subsequently harvested green. It was shown that the lateral move and drip systems also provided opportunity for improved water use efficiency over the furrow irrigation system and that the subsequent flow on benefits from this was reduced loss of nutrients via deep drainage and irrigation runoff. The economic evaluation, using actual inputs costs from the trial sites, show that the furrow and lateral move had similar operating costs which were significantly less than the drip system. However, it should be pointed out that this economic study looked at the adoption of a new irrigation system versus an existing furrow irrigation system. If the analysis was to examine a greenfield investment comparison, then the economic results could significantly change because of the extra capital investment required to establish a furrow irrigation system. In this analysis, environmental benefits resulting from improved water, nutrient and pesticide use are not accounted for in dollar terms, but if included would recognise the value of more efficient farming systems. While every effort was made to provide reliable information from this study, constraints associated with conducting the trial, within an existing “whole of farm” operation, meant that it should be considered more as a pilot study rather than a rigorous scientific trial. For this reason care should be taken in extrapolating the data from this study to other properties or areas where different circumstances and constraints could alter the perspective significantly.Item An assessment of surge-irrigation in the Burdekin : Final report CSR35(1992) Matthieson, LFurrow irrigation is the natural choice for sugarcane. It is relatively cheap to operate and generally not capital intensive, However in operation furrow irrigation has distinct limitations. It is generally inefficient in its use of water with 50% utilisation being a typical figure (Stewart 1988). With pumping costs being greater than $2 per tonne cane and QWRC water charges be i ng $32 per mega 1 i tre for farms on channe 1 supp 1 y, there is a need to increase efficiency in order to save moneY,conserve water resources and guard against rising water-tables and salinity. With furrow irrigation the furrow is both the source and the sink of irrigation water. The advance of the water down a dry furrow is typically much slower than the recession of water in a wet furrow except for short or flat furrows which are blocked. Inevitably the upper reaches of the furrow receive more water than lower down . To ensure adequate watering of the lower reaches irrigation water is often allowed to run off to waste for some considerable time. Surge irrigation is the application of irrigation water in pulses rater than continuously . If the off-phase is sufficiently long for the surface soil to dewater, it has been found (see Walker and Skogerboe, 1987) that when irrigation water is reapplied it rapidly advances over the previously wetted section such that less water is required to complete the advance phase of the irrigation. A more rapid advance gives a more uniform distribution of water. Because the irrigation on-time is only a portion of clock time (typically half) it allows better control of run off because irrigators have more time to interact with it.Item An initial evaluation of surge irrigation as a management tool for the Burdekin sugar industry : Final report 89/7(1991) Ham, GJConventional furrow and surge irrigation were compared during the growth of second and third ratoon sugarcane crops on a duplex soil in the Lower Burdekin district. Data collection was severely hampered during this investigation by the prevailing weather. Crop yields produced by both irrigation systems were almost identical. Surge irrigation reduced pumping times by 15.7-23.5% compared with conventional irrigation, thus reducing irrigation costs directly by these percentages. Further savings would result from lower maintenance on pumping equipment. Soil moisture distribution along the furrow and 'out times' for irrigation sets were more uniform for surge irrigation than conventional irrigation.Item Quantifying the socio-economic impacts of harvesting residue retention systems : SRDC Final report BSS173(2002) Small, FGBSS173: 'Quantifying the socio-economic impacts of harvesting residue retention systems' is a project jointly funded by the Sugar Research and Development Corporation and Land and Water Australia (formally Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation) from 1996 to 2002.The project was initially established after concerns that regulations on burning cane overseas would be introduced in Australia, and the socio-economic implications would not be known. There are a number of issues associated with burning of cane both before and after harvest. These include health concerns, pollution, nuisance and cleaning issues.The effect of the imposition of burning restrictions on growers was also a major concern, particularly with respect to furrow irrigation. Field trials were carried out in the Proserpine district to determine the effect of trash on furrow irrigation and to develop management methods to overcome any difficulties. These trials were used in conjunction with APSIM, an agricultural production simulator, and SIRMOD, a surface irrigation model, to determine optimal furrow irrigation under a number of situations.Item Statewide adoption of best irrigation practices for supplementary and full irrigation districts : SRDC Final report BS183S(2000) Robertson, LN; Giblin-Davis, RM; Oehlschlager, AC; Gries, RProject BS183S has researched and identified a number of means by which on-farm water use efficiency may be improved. These include the use of irrigation scheduling devices, improved furrow irrigation design and management, and use of modelling tools by local extension staff.Field trials demonstrated that deep drainage losses associated with furrow irrigation can be reduced by the use of surge irrigation and improved furrow irrigation management. Use of the furrow irrigation simulation model SIRMOD has enabled advisory staff to measure and optimise furrow irrigation events under typical sugar growing conditions. Difficulties however remain with deep drainage losses from furrow irrigation under trash blankets. Capacitance soil moisture meters and tensiometers were demonstrated to be effective tools for scheduling sugarcane irrigation. These devices enable growers to time irrigations to minimise crop water stress. APSFront~Sugar was developed in conjunction with APRSU to enable local advisory staff to investigate a range of issues related to sugarcane production. Despite difficulties with high rainfall, field trials demonstrated that in the absence of watertables APSIM produced reasonable predictions of crop yield. APSIM was employed to determine effective rainfall, crop response to irrigation, water use efficiency and irrigation requirement for the Mackay, Bundaberg, Mareeba, Proserpine, Atherton, Childers, and Sarina districts. APSIM was also able to identify a number of improved strategies for the use of limited allocation in supplementary irrigation districts. Project BS183S provided considerable training and support to research and extension staff.