NSW Sustaining the Basin - Technology demonstrations
The NSW Sustaining the Basin: Border Rivers - Gwydir project includes a research and development component.
The Cooperative Research Centre for Irrigation Futures (CRCIF) has been engaged to demonstrate three irrigation technologies:
- IrriSATSMS
- furrow automation
- monolayer application.
IrriSATSMS
IrriSATSMS weather station
Irrigation water management by Satellite and SMS (IrriSATSMS) uses satellite images to determine crop water use in real time and deliver irrigation scheduling information to irrigators. It also provides a feed back mechanism to assist in improving water ordering and capacity management. The project will work closely with two local consultants and Industry & Investment NSW extension staff who will be assisting to evaluate the technology for broadacre irrigation.
This technology will be demonstrated at two sites in the Gwydir Valley, 'Keytah' and 'Weemalah'.
Furrow automation
Furrow irrigation is the most popular system of water application in the Border Rivers - Gwydir basin and is likely to remain so. One of the main impediments to getting more out of furrow irrigation is sufficient labour. Automation of irrigation deals with this problem. The demonstration project is intended to show three levels of benefits:
- some labour saving
- better distribution of water from large outlets
- management of irrigation to its full potential.
The adaptation of technology from the southern Murray-Darling Basin to furrow irrigation will be demonstrated at 'Midkin'.
Monolayer application
Illustration of an application and sensing system for a monolayer
Evaporation in the Gwydir Valley from on-farm water storages when they are full has been estimated to be as high as 69 GL per year. This is equivalent to losing up to two metres of water from storages per annum.
Preliminary results from a Cotton Catchment Communities Cooperative Research Centre project in the northern Murray-Darling Basin demonstrate that evaporation losses from storages are more significant than seepage losses.
The Cooperative Research Centre for Irrigation Futures (CRCIF) will demonstrate and evaluate the application of chemical monolayers, which are chemical fluids that float on the surface of irrigation storages to reduce evaporation. Current research is fast-tracking the chemistry of the polymers as well as making improvements in their application to the water surface to improve the performance of these chemicals.
The CRCIF has developed application and sensing systems for monolayers that reduce evaporation, and will demonstrate field prototypes at 'Yamba' using a commercial evaporation mitigation product. The Economic Ready Reckoner decision support system will also be demonstrated.
Field days
The following field days will be held to allow irrigators to view new irrigation technologies in use: