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Cut flower group water study
(a) Objectives
1. To identify improved water use efficiencies within the North Australian Cut Flower Group by;
- Accurately determine crop water requirements
- Identify best irrigation delivery systems for different crops
- Determine watering use efficiencies with regard to quality and productivity
- Identification of possible deep drainage environmental impacts
2. Promote “best irrigation protocols” to industry members to enhance knowledge of water usage, and create “knowledge-based” irrigation systems rather than irrigation by “gut feeling”.
3. Reduce enterprise water usage by 10-25% through the uptake and implementation of project recommendations
(b) Methodologies
1. Industry benchmarks: Comprising 3 months, this component will comprise two parts.
1. 1. Historical benchmarks
The first will re-analyse crop production data collected by industry members over the past 10 years in the context of irrigation schedules and water delivery systems to provide basic information of past practices and productivity. This information will not be “exact data” but will guide decisions of treatments to be used in the manipulative experiments, as well as to give approximate historical water use values to gauge success of this project.
Collect information of irrigation schedules and systems from past productivity research contributors.
Identify historical practices, and analyse productivity data against irrigation data to establish relationships.
Present outcomes to industry group.
- 1.2. Current benchmarks
- The second part will expand on the recent industry water survey documenting current water usage and irrigation delivery systems. This will provide an accurate current baseline to gauge success of this project. Additional components to be benchmarked for inclusion in the manipulative experiments include soil and plant nutrition and flower productivity.
Collect information of current irrigation schedules and systems, nutritional input and productivity.
Analyse surveys to provide baseline data of current practices and resource usage and productivity.
Present outcomes to industry group.
2. Manipulative experiments Comprising up to 18 months, this second component will refine crop water use through experimental work and feedback from industry through ongoing best-practise sessions. All work will be conducted on several farms in the NT which will be showcased in industry workshops associated with this project. This component will also comprise of two parts.
2.1 Soil assessments
The first will investigate deep-drainage assessments, root distributions and soil residues. This will provide much needed information into the water-zone requirements for Heliconia, and the potential nutrient loss from deep-drainage caused by over-watering.
2.2 Crop monitoring
The second part will be one of refining crop water use through manipulation of crop watering. Replicated trials will be conducted assessing water requirements of identified crops, and watering efficiencies of different irrigation delivery systems by measuring productivity and quality of produce against various levels of irrigation. Growers will be trained to conduct their own monitoring with minimal supervised support. This will ensure that industry members will have the capacity to continue best-practice work beyond the life of this project. These manipulative experiments should commence within 3-6 months of project initiation and will follow a crop cycle.
Establish partnerships with cutflower growers with a variety of irrigation delivery systems and irrigation schedules. A subset of these to be identified for use in part 1 for deep-drainage studies etc.
Identify specific flower lines to be studied (maximum 4)
Manipulations identified from analysis of historical and current industry benchmarks.
Ongoing data collection, as well as analysis of soil and plant tests.
Analysis of all data with emphasis on:
- Comparison of effectiveness of different irrigation delivery systems in different crop types
- Identification of critical crop productivity and quality levels related to water supply, soil type and nutrition input
Publication of results in industry journals and the cut flower group website.
3. Project assessment: this component will provide an accurate assessment of project outcomes in terms of knowledge uptake by industry members, changing on-farm management practices and reducing industry water use.
Conduct a final survey of latest irrigation schedules and systems, nutritional input and productivity.
Analyse surveys and compare historical and baseline data collected at start of project with that at the end of the project.
Present outcomes to industry group.
Publication of results in industry journals and the cut flower group website.
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Task description |
July 2008 MONTHS INTO PROJECT December 2010 |
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Analysis of historical data |
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Summary of current benchmarks |
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Presentation of data reviews to group |
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Setup of crop monitoring |
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Crop monitoring |
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Soil assessments |
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Presentation of 12 month trial data and soil assessments to group |
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Analysis of crop monitoring |
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Presentation of final results to group |
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Preparation of all data for publication |
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Re-survey group for water use |
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Presentation to group of all project outcomes |
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Submission of publications, update website, media |
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Historical benchmarks
Analyse crop production data collected by industry members over the past 15 years in the context of irrigation schedules and water delivery systems to provide basic information of past practices and productivity. This information will not provide “exact data” but will guide decisions of treatments to be used in the proposed crop monitoring, as well as to give approximate historical water use values to gauge success of this project.
Information of irrigation schedules and systems from past productivity research contributors will need to be obtained by interviewing people. Measures of crop descriptions (e.g definition of crop area, volume of fertilizer [e.g. handfuls]) need to be standardised across contributors to ensure data are consistent.
Any data where required information is missing (e.g water volumes) are to be discarded from initial analysis.
Analyse productivity data against irrigation data to establish relationships. Where possible, account for soil nutrient status and nutrient inputs, age of flowers and flower quality as co-variables.
Identify thresholds of water input vs productivity. In particular, identify knowledge gaps or windows of irrigation that would benefit the proposed crop monitoring.
Identify historical practices (e.g. sole use of overhead sprinklers, daytime watering)
- Current benchmarks
- Analyse recent industry water survey documenting current water usage and irrigation delivery systems to provide accurate current baseline data with which to gauge success of this project.
Summarise information of current irrigation schedules and systems from recent survey (see below).
Attempt to collect information of nutritional input and productivity during this period by interviewing people (to be done in conjunction with Historical Benchmark interviews).
Analyse surveys to provide baseline data of current practices, irrigation systems, resource usage and productivity.
Soil assessments
(a) Root distributions
Determine the root distributions of the two key Heliconia crops, Petra and Claw II to identify water zone requirements of the crops. Feedback information into water monitoring design of crop monitoring project.
- Determine the root layer by systematically uprooting plants, paying particular attention to the depth of most roots and depth of maximum root penetration.
- Four replicates
(b) ) deep-drainage assessments
Assess potential nutrient loss from deep-drainage caused by over-watering, and Wet Season rains.
Crop monitoring
Monitoring crop production, water and nutrient input for 18 months. Two crops to be used – Petra (short-term crop to 1.5 m) and Claw II (long-term crop to 5 m) which are the main industry varieties representing the two common plant forms. Up to 7 farms or replicates per flower type = 14 trials. Variables to be considered in design:
Soil type (preferably as uniform as possible)
Crop age (data to be adjusted according to crop age)
Irrigation delivery method (extreme variation preferred [ e.g. overheads vs micro sprinklers), but at the risk of low replication)
Irrigation schedule (some scope for manipulation based on identification of thresholds from historical data). – No point everybody doing the same thing.
Growers will be trained to conduct their own monitoring (crop production, nutrient and water input, rainfall) with minimal supervised support.
Supervision required predominantly at project inception to install water monitoring equipment. Some replicates will finish early (old crop when starting) or start late (new plantings of Petra).
Analyses at 6 monthly intervals to assess project progress.
Soil and leaf analyses at prescribed intervals of leaf analyses monthly and soil analyses thrice yearly.
Formalise agreements with growers with a variety of irrigation delivery systems and irrigation schedules willing and able to participate.
Clear decision of potential manipulations identified from analysis of historical and current industry benchmarks, farms to be used and their influence on variables affecting experimental design to be made prior to any commencement to crop monitoring
Setup of water monitoring equipment and training of growers for data collection.
Collection of data for analysis at 6 monthly intervals.
Collection and analysis of soil and leaf material
Analysis of all data with emphasis on:
- Comparison of effectiveness of different irrigation delivery systems in different crop types
- Relationship between nutrient input, soil type and irrigation levels
- Identification of watering thresholds for crop productivity
Publication of results
Project assessment
Final industry survey assessing knowledge uptake and project success
Conduct a final survey of latest irrigation schedules and systems, nutritional input and productivity (Presentations at 4 and 18 months into project designed to give industry members ample time to change any evil ways).
Analyse surveys and compare historical and baseline data collected at start of project with that at the end of the project.
Present outcomes to industry group.
Publication of results.
