Published: 6 Dec 2021
During 2021, researchers from the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) interviewed 60 primary producers from a range of industry sectors and production regions in Tasmania about their priorities for irrigation and soil management.
During 2021, researchers from the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) interviewed 60 primary producers from a range of industry sectors and production regions in Tasmania about their priorities for irrigation and soil management.
The most critical soil management issues identified were waterlogging, compaction and drainage, while rutting and bogging, application uniformity, and scheduling were the dominant irrigation issues.
Dr Saideepa Kumar, Lecturer in Agricultural Systems at TIA, said the survey aimed to develop a better understanding of the range of issues being experienced by producers and the extent of their occurrence across the state.
“The survey follows the conclusion of the successful Water for Profit II program in 2018, when we turned our attention to how TIA could take the next step in provision of research, development, extension and adoption (RDE&A) to improve irrigated agriculture in Tasmania,” Dr Kumar said.
“We wanted to find out the major soil and irrigation issues experienced by Tasmanian farmers and how the issues vary by region, soil type, irrigation technology and enterprise. We also wanted farmers to tell us about the issues they would most like us to address through future research projects.”
Almost 80 percent of participants reported that they irrigated more than 100 hectares, with a high representation of irrigated annual cropping and pastures in the industry sector breakdown. More than 50 percent of participants have been irrigating for more than 20 years, with almost all the rest having 5 to 20 years of irrigation experience. Centre pivot irrigators are used by 70 percent of participants, reflective of the broad acre operations associated with annual cropping and pasture.
Dr Kumar said the survey results show that soil and irrigation management cannot be separated. The most commonly reported soil management issues (compaction, drainage and waterlogging) are inextricably linked with the irrigation management issues identified (rutting and bogging, infiltration, run-off, waterlogging and drainage). Of the irrigation management issues, rutting and bogging was ranked as the most important issue to be addressed in future work.
Several participants mentioned that they had learned to manage other issues over time. Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI) and soil moisture measurement were identified as useful mitigating strategies, even though their cost limits widespread adoption
The report concluded that in-depth discussions and focus groups with growers in specific regions would help to refine the soil and irrigation management issues that should be the focus of future RDE&A work in TIA.
The report was produced by Dr John McPhee, Dr Saideepa Kumar, Dr Carolina Garcia Imhof, and Ms Inosha Hansamali Nishshanka Achchi Kankanamalage.
Read the full report here: Future directions for irrigation and soil management RDE&A in Tasmania (PDF 800KB).
