The Efficient Irrigation workshop and IRRIG8 Quick bucket-test field demonstration we ran for Gisborne Irrigation Operators and Crop Managers was well attended. We were pleased to have industry and council staff also attending the day.
Many thanks to Leaderbrand for continuing their support for our Gisborne activities and setting up their irrigators for the bucket test demonstration. A great group of staff getting stuck-in and learning as much as possible about good practices.
We started the day with a slide presentation at the Bushmere Arms, discussing the many different definitions of “Irrigation Efficiency”. Efficient Irrigation is a critical input for high-value cropping systems. Getting it right or wrong can make or break crop yields, quality, and nutrient management targets. Dan noted that when most people are talking about efficiency they mean Application Efficiency: how much of the water applied to a field was held in the soil and avilable for plants for growth.
To get high application efficiency, application should be as uniform as practically posssible, and the depth applied should only be enough to refill most of the root depth. Low efficiency means excess water is applied, a sign that leaching risk is increased.
The IRRIG8 Quick calibration methods uses 20-24 9L buckets, spaced across the irrigation application area. Different bucket positions are used depending on the type of irrigation being tested. At this worshop, we tested one of Leaderbrand’s boom irrigators.
We also demonstrated the IRRIG8Lite software that runs on a PC. This is a free resource from Page Bloomer Associates. It takes care of all calculations required and produces printable reports including a graph of application depth across the irrigation area.
On Friday the 8th of November all are welcome to attend a field day hosted by NZ Landcare Trust and Slow Farm Ltd about Biochar. The field day will include a demonstration of how Biochar is made, a presentation by Massey University on Biochar research, as well as a workshop to discuss the potential of Biochar in Manawatu.
The Field Day will be held at Tom Shannons farm in Aokautere, which is shown in the map below.
When: 10:30am – 2:00pm
Where: 1213 State Highway 57, Aokautere, 4471
Please RSVP by Wednesday 6th November to Alastair Cole, NZ Landcare Trust if you plan on attending.
On Thursday 15th August, we visited Evenden and Red Barn orchards to view the Smart Tools for Orchard Drainage trial blocks.
A few months have now passed since the various drainage treatments were implemented in the trial areas – the soil has settled and the grass is beginning to establish in the interrows.
A group of growers arrived to see the different treatments which we will continue to track to monitor their effectiveness and longevity. One of the main tools we are using is the RutMeter we developed for the project.
The RutMeter automatically measures rut depth and records the location using SBAS GPS for accuracy
After several months, regrassing, pruning and mulching, inter-row 1-2 is looking pretty good. By minimising soil movement during levelling, there is only a small rise/drop between the inter-row and the undertree row ground level.
The inter-row between rows 1 and 2 several months after levelling. been regrassed, then after pruning the branches were mulched. A few weeks for regrowth and the surface should be looking green again
Very good discussion among the growers covered the different treatments, how they affected orchard operations (especially use of hydraladas) and what future remediation they thought would be needed.
Orchard managers are happy with results to date. They think there may need to be work later after wet periods, but the foundation for better surface drainage in in place.
Many thanks to T&G and Bostocks for hosting the trials and the field walks. And project funders, MPIU SFF and NZ Apples and Pears Inc.
We’re not quite sure what to call the job: science manager, extensionist, project manager, consultant? We know it offers diverse activities and needs excellent communication skills and practical knowledge of horticulture and technology.
We are looking for someone to help identify and lead research projects and extension activities across a variety of issues and regions. For the right person, this is a role with considerable potential to grow.
This will be a Page Bloomer Associates appointment. They provide our science, management and support services while having addditional private consultancy activities. Working closely together, we know they share our passion for sustainable land and water management.
Since the dawn of the new millennium we’ve been providing progressive, pragmatic and independent services through projects and consultancy. A key feature of our work is close collaboration with end users, researchers and developers. We talk about “linking thinking from the farm out”.
The role includes engaging with growers, industry and researchers to identify opportunities to review practices and integrate new technologies to create sustainable cropping systems. The appointee will develop and manage projects and support services that support economically and environmentally sustainable primary production.
If you know someone with passion for smarter farming who wants a key role in a small dedicated organisation, Page Bloomer Associates would like to chat with them!
Figure 1. Gene Williams’ levelling blade fitted with Trimble RTK-GPS and FMX with WM-Drain drainage software
Drainage treatments in trial blocks at T&G Global’s Evenden orchard and Bostock’s Red Barn orchard. The narrow window between finishing harvest and the soil becoming too wet to work was longer than anticipated this autumn making the task easier. All earthworks were completed and pasture re-sown. Vehicle access was restricted to allow the pasture to establish and soil to settle.
A range of treatments was included and implemented to compare to the new land shaping approach including Crasborn’s harrow and planter (Figure 2) and Aqualine V-blade, slotting and ripping and rut filling (Figure 3).
Figure 2. Crasborn Orchard Inter-row RutFiller and RegrasserFigure 3. Aqualine fill trailer with splitter to direct brought in fill to rutted wheel tracks
GPS Levelling
Land levelling is a proven technique more commonly used in cropping, where soil is moved around to create fall across a field and allow surface water to drain off. Growers use this approach to reduce water lying on the surface and saturating areas of crop which results in reduce yield. Software is used that is specifically designed to minimise and optimise movement of soil. The height of the blade or scoop used to cut and fill soil is controlled by software through the tractor hydraulics. The same principles are being applied to existing orchard rows to create fall along the inter-rows and drain surface water off the block.
The inter-rows were rotary hoed to create a suitable tilth, to allow small volumes of soil to be moved along the inter-row (Figure 4). The elevation profiles indicated that only light shaping would be required to create fall along the inter-rows, where 100mm would be the maximum change in height (cut/fill) necessary.
Figure 4. Orchard Inter-rows pre and post hoeing, prior to land shaping
Hugh Ritchie’s Trimble RTK-GPS base station was set up in the orchard. Patrick Nicolle’s Trimble FMX unit with WM-Drain software was mounted on the T&G and Bostock tractors. A GPS Control Systems Trimble GPS antenna was mounted above Gene Williams’ 2.5m wide levelling blade, see Figure 1. The tractor hydraulics were used to control the blade height.
WM-Drain was used to record the elevation of each section in the orchard. An accurate RTK-GPS elevation profile was recorded by driving along the inter-row and the WM-Drain software used to generate the optimal profile (Figure 5), within specified parameters, such as minimum slope.
Figure 5. Screenshot of WM-Drain software, the grey area the current ground surface and the green line generated as the optimal profile
Soil was shifted using the blade to cut and fill areas to achieve the optimal profile designed in WM-Drain. Because the tractor hydraulics were not suited to automation without major changes, the blade height was manually controlled using the tractor hydraulics and lowered or raised. Multiple passes (up to six) were required along each row to move soil to create the desired profile. The results of the land levelling are shown in Figures 6 and 7.
Figure 6. Examples of inter-rows after land levelling has been completed
Figure 7. Inter-row profiles after cultivation and before land levelling (grey dotted line) and after land levelling (green line).
After earthworks the alleyways were re-sown in pasture. Vehicle access has been restricted to allow the pasture to establish and soil to settle. Timing is important to ensure orchardists can access blocks to continue their yearly programme in a timely manner, without damaging the newly formed alleyways.
The Crasborn machine cultivates and pulls soil from outside the wheel tracks using a set of angled discs. Harrows are used to break up and smooth the soil. A levelling bar with raised sections above the wheel tracks is used to further even out the soil. A compressed air seeder is used to sow pasture along the inter-row. Finally, a cambered roller creates a crowned inter-row and compacts the soil surface. The all in one implement (Figure 2) completes the final product (Figure 8) in one pass.
Figure 8. Inter-rows after Ricks Crasborn’s implement has been used to cultivate and fill wheel ruts
The Smart Tools for Orchard Drainage project has completed key steps to prepare and implement inter-row land levelling. Terrain analysis has provided a clear indication that a gentle gradient could be developed along the inter-row with minimal soil movement. However, the effects of reducing ponding through slight land shaping would be substantial for management and health and safety in the orchard.
Orchard Contour Mapping
LiDAR data from Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and Gisborne District Council were used to assess the feasibility of inter-row land levelling in the orchard blocks of interest. LiDAR (light detection and ranging) is a type of airborne optical sensing that is used to generate a model of the earth’s surface. It let us create contour maps and look at ground profiles (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Steps for creating interrow profiles: a – LiDAR raw data showing bare earth points (brown) and above ground points (green) from rows of trees (note the difference in the frequency of green points indicating greater tree canopy in the bottom rows in the image); b – contour map created from digital elevation model; c – interrow profiles lines over aerial image; and d – example of an interrow profile
The inter-row profiles were used as a ‘first look’ to estimate the fall across the orchard and provide an indication of the approximate amount of soil to be shifted to remove and prevent areas of ponding.
We also surveyed using ground-based vehicles (quad bike or tractor) with RTK GPS (Figure 2). This system has a vertical accuracy of approximately 20 mm. Corrected elevation data were recorded along the inter-rows using WM-Drain. These data were also used to create accurate interrow profiles.
Figure 2. RTK GPS set up on ground-based vehicles at orchards near Gisborne and NapierFigure 3: Comparison of profiles generated from LiDAR data (grey line) and ground based RKT survey (red line)
The comparison of the different methods of generating profiles has given confidence that LiDAR is useful for an initial block analysis.
Ponding maps
Two of the orchards were visited after a significant rain event (30+ mm over a weekend). Locations of ponding were collected using the ESRI Collector smartphone app and an EOS Arrow SBAS GPS with a horizontal accuracy of 30-40cm. The interrows at one orchard were covered by Extenday, which meant the areas of shallow ponding were difficult to identify (Figure 6).
Figure 6: Recording ponding areas in the orchards’ interrows after a significant rain event
A drainage analysis created in Optisurface was used as a base map to display ponding locations (Figure 7). After this rain event, the majority of areas of ponding appeared to be located within areas identified by the drainage analysis as areas where ponding would occur.
Figure 7: Map of OptiSurface drainage analysis and measured ponding spots – brown represents drier areas and blue/purple areas of ponding. Points locate areas of ponding after a significant rain eventFigure 8: Example of ruts highlighting the issues of ponding and mud splash on the fruit.
The ponding locations were also compared to the interrow profiles. Although no formal analysis was completed, many of the ponding spots appear to match dips in the profiles (Figure 9).
Figure 9: Profiles generated from LiDAR data (grey line) and ground based RKT survey (red line) with ponding areas after a significant rain event identified (blue dots)
Rut depth measurements
The key measurement for monitoring the effectiveness of the different drainage treatments will be the formation of ruts. A sled has been specifically designed to measure and record the depth of ruts and the location within the orchard blocks, see Figure 10.
The sled uses a linear transducer to measure the difference in height between the bottom of the wheel ruts and the ground surface between the wheel tracks. The location is recorded using the SBAS positioning system with an EOS Arrow 100 GPS with a horizontal accuracy of approximately 0.3-0.4m. The data was recorded on a smartphone using an app, Rut-O-Meter. Points are recorded approximately every 0.2m depending on travel speed as the sled was towed by a quadbike along orchard rows.
Figure 10: Sled design to measure rut depth, measuring the difference in height between the bottom of the wheel tracks and the centre of the inter-row.
The average rut depth (of the left and right wheel tracks) throughout the trial block was measured prior to the soil being cultivated. An example of the rut depth along an orchard row and the corresponding elevation profile are presented in Figure 11.
Figure 11: Example of matching rut depth measurements (a) and elevation profile (b).om the rut measuring sled is presented in Figure 18. The measured rut depths appear to correspond to the drainage analysis (Figure 19) completed in OptiSurface.
A map from the rut measurements is shown in Figure 12. Deeper ruts are darker blue. Pale yellow is no rutting or the inter-row is lower than the wheel tracks. This compares well with the OptiSurface generated ponding map of the block (Figure 13).
Figure 11: Map created from the rut depth measurements from the trial block
Figure 13: OptiSurface drainage and ponding analysis from RTK survey of the trial block
Conclusions
Analysis of LiDAR data and ground based RTK elevation data has shown that land levelling should be possible with minimal soil movement.
The ground based RTK survey, with the GPS antenna on a 2m pole has proven that the connection is not interrupted through dense tree canopies.
The use of the SBAS system, a cell phone and EOS Arrow GPS receiver allows information to be recorded against individual trees, with an accuracy of 30-40cm, even in dense tree canopy.
The ponding areas identified in the orchard after a significant rain event appear to show a relationship to the OptiSurface drainage analysis.
The Rut-O-Meter mapping shows good agreement with the other surveys
Project work by Page Bloomer Associates for NZ Apples and Pears Inc and MPI Sustainable Farming Fund
Do we really know why we farm as we do? Or are we constrained in ways we just don’t see?
Often our current practices have evolved over a very long time – thousands of years of human history, decades of technology developments. Remember the space shuttle and the horse’s rear? We’ve long forgotten some of the reasons behind what we do, so maybe it is time for a reset!
Eight years ago, Dan and Jacqui Cottrell set off on their Overseas Experience – it was in South America that they encountered the high protein superfood staple of the Andean people, quinoa, and considered “Could quinoa be grown back at home on the Cottrell family farm?”
Fast forward to now and Dan and Jacqui have recently harvested their fourth and largest quinoa crop on their cool climate sheep and beef property on the Taihape-Napier Road, just out of Moawhango in the Central Plateau.
Quinoa is a high protein seed with an impressive nutritional offering, so much so that NASA stated “while no single food contains all the nutrients necessary to live, quinoa comes as close as any” and have included it in their long term space travel.
After a lot of research, communication with international quinoa producers and a variety trial – the couple identified a particular saponin-free variety of quinoa that really suited their cool climate and short growing season.
Through many years of trial and error, Dan and Jacqui have ironed out a growing practice that suits their quinoa and their wider farming operation. Kiwi Quinoa is grown without the use of herbicides or pesticides. Their quinoa is grown as part of pasture renewal program and permanent pasture is planted shortly after the crop is harvested in February.
With a shift in consumer attitudes around food choices – the demand for sustainably produced, plant based proteins is on the rise. Recent studies in the US have shown that consumption of alternative proteins, like quinoa and other plant proteins, is growing at a rate of 4-10 times faster than conventional proteins.
Jacqui and Dan remain very supportive of traditional proteins, but also see tremendous opportunity for New Zealand agriculture in not only the plant protein space but with a shift into more regenerative ways of farming our land.
Jane Mullaney is a scientist working in the Food and Nutrition group at AgResearch Palmerston North. Jane is also affiliated with the Riddet Institute for food innovation and is a microbiologist with her PhD in Food Technology.
Jane and colleagues have partnered with Tai Pukenga Ltd to develop a commercial banana industry for the Tairāwhiti/East Coast region.
Bananas grown at Anaura Bay, north of Tolaga Bay on the East Coast. [Image (C) stuff]Bananas are economically important fruit crops grown in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world and are currently cultivated in over 130 countries, on over 5.5 million hectares with a global production of about 145 million tons (FAOSTAT, 2017).
Bananas serve as a principle source of carbohydrates for millions of people worldwide while in New Zealand, we spend more on bananas than any other fruit, and eat about 18kg of them every year, or roughly two bananas a week.
There are hundreds of different cultivars which differ mainly by the amounts of starch and sugars produced in their fruits however, the only bananas imported to New Zealand are the Cavendish variety. While subtropical, bananas can be grown almost anywhere.
By using tissue culture methods, AgResearch have developed and shared this knowledge with Tai Pukenga to enable the rapid expansion of a banana industry for the East Coast region.
Through DNA sequencing, AgResearch aims to identify cultivars and this information will help inform along with trial farms, which cultivar might be best suited for future commercial work.
Jane and colleagues aim to use tissue culture to produce many banana plants for trialling across the region, to identify which cultivars we already have growing in the region using DNA sequencing and to assess the nutritional benefits of the NZ produced fruit. This project is funded through the Vision Mātauranga Connect Fund.
As the LandWISE Conference fast approaches, we take a closer look at some of the presenters, and speaking topics in the area of Nitrate Management – how, when and what to apply, and how to deal with losses.
Session 2 will kick off with a Year 1 progress update from Future Proofing Vegetable Production, a Sustainable Farming Fund project testing the impact of new on-farm nitrogen mitigation and production practices in Levin and Gisborne.
We will report on our surveys of current practice, fertiliser applicator testing and of nitrate movement from field to stream. The farmers are making significant changes.
Testing a Broadcast Fertiliser Spreader
Our international guest speaker, Brad Bernhard, will present “Comparing Products, Timing and Placement – N in Corn”. Having just completed his PhD at the University of Illinois, Brad has extensive knowledge and experience of intensive corn and soybean production systems in the U.S. Brad’s PhD focus was optimising in-season fertility using alternative N fertilisation products and application methods.
Y-Drop applying Liquid Urea-N
While this will be of interest to our arable and maize growers, we are also excited to learn about the potential, and challenges this new approach holds for intensive vegetable cropping systems in New Zealand.
Jeff Reid from Plant and Food will outline the key points from the newly revised Nutrient Management in Vegetable Crops in NZ book. This presentation will cover the updated fertiliser recommendations for vegetable crops in New Zealand, and the concepts behind them.
Session 5 covers “Dealing with Losses”. We can do our best to keep nutrients in the rootzone, but sometimes some will escape. Can we stop nitrates getting into sensitive waterbodies?
Our new Research Manager, Pip McVeagh joined a group of Queenslanders at a workshop on nitrate recapture. One of the key concepts she will present is “The Treatment Train”.
We are also looking forward to a presentation from Alastair Taylor from Overseer Ltd. on using Overseer in vegetable systems. We have completed a number of representative examples and finding quite a range in results!
With such a variety and high calibre of speakers it should be a very engaging two days. More info here, and the draft programme here.
This presentation will cover the updated fertiliser recommendations for vegetable crops in New Zealand, and the concepts behind them.
With such a variety and high calibre of speakers it should be a very engaging two days. More