Australia’s cotton industry is already three times more efficient than the global average, but with a changing climate and continuing drought, getting the most out of every drop of water is the industry’s greatest challenge. The cotton industry recognises the importance in continuing to research, develop and implement new methods to improve water use efficiency (WUE) to ensure a sustainable future for the industry, the communities it supports as well as the environment. Australian irrigated cotton growers are committed to improving their WUE for economic, environmental, social and political reasons.
In 2007, Cotton Australia set the goal of doubling the industry’s WUE in the next 10 years through investments in research and further changes to on-farm practices.
The Australian cotton industry continues to invest over half of its Research and Development budget to finding ways to further improve water use and reduce pesticide use.
The Australian cotton industry’s Best Management Practices (BMP) program aims to be a guide for cotton growers to improve farm efficiency and productivity, along with protecting the environment and its natural resources. The BMP Program continues to grow and be a major focus of Cotton Australia’s work as it strives for continuous improvement in all areas of the industry including WUE.
Some of the on-farm water use efficiency methods currently being used in Australia’s cotton industry include:
- Electo-magnetic surveys to detect leaks in storages and channels
- Reducing evaporation by shortening runs
- Minimum tillage
- Positioning dams closer to cotton fields
- Deeper water storages with smaller surface areas to reduce evaporation
- Avoiding water storage on farm by only purchasing water as it is needed
- Smaller storage cells
- Not putting water directly into dry storages which soak up water
- Infield monitoring using probes to detect soil moisture lvels
- Irrigation scheduling to ensure irrigation is only done as and when it is needed
- Creating a ‘water budget’ to monitor water use
- Lining storages and channels with clay or non-porous materials to avoid seepage
- Drip irrigation
- Overhead/lateral-move irrigators and pivots
- Bankless channel irrigation
- Siphonless channels
- Covering water storages
- Mulching and stubble retention
- Permanent wheel beds to reduce soil compaction and increase water infiltration
- Avoiding water logging and over-watering
- Precision flood irrigation
- Laser levelling
- Using cotton varieties such as Bollgard II® which have a shorter season and therefore require less water
- Software packages such as HydroLOGIC (www.csiro.au/hydrologic) and Water Track (www.watertrack.com.au)
- Doubling the size of siphons
- Deeper head ditches
Each property is unique and it is important to first find out which methods would be best suited to your property’s conditions. It is recommended that growers interested in improving their farm’s water efficiency contact their nearest Water Use Efficiency Officer who can provide more information and technical advice.
Useful links
The Cotton Catchment Communities Cooperative Research Centre’s “WATERpak” provides technical information and practical advice to help irrigators improve irrigation practices, minimise environmental impacts and increase farm profits from irrigated cotton crops.
http://www.cottoncrc.org.au/content/Industry/Publications/Water/WATERpak.aspx
CSIRO is identifying ways to improve the efficiency of Australian cotton industry’s water use and assist growers to implement increasingly water efficient practices through ongoing research.
http://www.csiro.au/science/ps8e.html
