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.
The key topics covered included:
- What is Irrigation Efficiency?
- Soil Water concepts
- Testing Irrigation Application using the IRRIG8 bucket test
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.
This Workshop was run with support from Leaderbrand and our project sponsors as part of Future Proofing Vegetable Production
