Completed projects and reports

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Evaluating the potential for improved sugar yields by assessing the climatic and soil constraints to production in southern cane-growing districts
(1999) Muchow, RC; Hughes, RM; Horan, HL
This project conducted strategic research to better understand the processes of yield accumulation in low temperature NSW environments and to identify limits to yield. The fundamental knowledge gained in this project can be used to assess yield limitations and the scope for yield improvement. In addition, the findings are a pre-requisite to the design of management and genetic improvement strategies to boost production in southern sugarcane growing environments. An additional spin-off of this project is a better functional basis of the processes of yield accumulation encapsulated in the APSIM Sugarcane systems model to allow extrapolation of the findings more broadly across the sugar industry. An analysis framework was used to express sucrose yield in terms of biomass accumulation and the proportion on biomass present as sucrose. Crop biomass was analysed in terms of radiation capture and utilisation. Partitioning was examined in terms of the proportion of crop biomass present as stalk and the stalk sucrose concentration on a dry matter basis. Crops growing under "potential yield" conditions were analysed and compared to those growing under "commercial yield conditions".
Efficient use of water resources in sugar production; optimising the use of limited water under supplementary irrigation
(2000) Inman-Bamber, NG; Robertson, MJ; Muchow, RC; Wood, AW; Wegener, MK; Spillman, MF
About 60% of sugar produced in Australia depends on irrigation. In some regions, production would be impossible without irrigation; in others, irrigation is used to supplement rainfall. It can improve production and reduce risks in the more variable rainfall environments. The whole subject of supplementary irrigation has taken on a new focus in recent years as termsof- trade for cane growers continue to deteriorate, and as pressure mounts for more efficient management of a scarce national resource. Best practice with limited water, however, depends on complex biophysical and economic factors as well as sensitive off-site impacts. From a biophysical point of view, questions arise as to the probability of achieving the desired irrigation responses in the various regions and seasons, and the extent to which this is affected by crop water requirements at various stages and by variety and soil type. From a management point of view, the questions concern source of the water, the amounts available, and the best crop type and block on which to apply it. Finally, from an economic point of view, the questions concern the interactions between the above factors and the size of the investment required, the likely price of cane, and the probability of achieving sustained profitability from the investment during its lifetime. The aim of this project, therefore, was to address this complexity by developing and applying a generic methodology for assessing the payoffs of supplementary irrigation, taking account of the above factors.
Best practice irrigation management to maximise profitability and ensure sustainability in the Ord sugar industry : SRDC Final report CSR22
(2003) Wood, AW; Engelke, JM; Sherrard, JH; Plunkett, GM; Triglone, T; Bakker, DM; Horan, HL; Muchow, RC; Inman-Bamber, G
The Ord Sugar industry was established in 1995 with the commissioning of a sugar mill and the first full season of commercial production was in 1996. It is now a major industry in Stage 1 of the Ord Irrigation Area, currently occupying over 4000 hectares and producing around 60,000 tonnes of raw sugar annually for export. The climatic conditions in the Ord impose a high water requirement for sugarcane crops. Growers face a considerable challenge in meeting that requirement whilst maximising their profitability and minimising drainage losses and potential impacts on the environment. Groundwater levels have risen substantially in the 30 years since the start of irrigation in the Ord. Consequently the development of appropriate irrigation practices for sugarcane is a key requirement in the management of rising water tables and in the sustainability of Ord sugarcane production. The first step in developing best practice irrigation management was to gain a better understanding of the range of irrigation practices being used by the industry at the beginning of the project. A survey conducted to benchmark irrigation practices used on the 1995/96 sugarcane crop indicated very high rates of annual water application, making the development of irrigation practices that maximise profitability and minimise groundwater accessions a key priority for the Ord sugar industry.

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