Benchmarking irrigation practices in the Ord sugar industry

The efficient use of irrigation water is essential for the future profitability and sustainability of the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA). Climatic conditions dictate a high water requirement for sugarcane production and farmers face a considerable challenge in meeting that requirement in order to maximise profitability while minimising drainage losses and potential impacts on groundwater and the environment. In order to develop best practice irrigation management in the Ord sugar industry, a first step is to gain a full understanding of the range of current irrigation practices. Accordingly, a survey was conducted to benchmark irrigation practices used on the 1995-1996 sugarcane crop in the Ord. The results show that there is an extremely high irrigation water requirement for sugarcane crops there. The average water applied per annum was 32.5 ML/ha, with values ranging from] 5.3 to 53.8 ML/ha. A wide range of irrigation strategies is being used by cane growers which suggests that growers require assistance in developing appropriate strategies to achieve the most profitable and sustainable use of irrigation water. It is not possible to use the survey results alone to develop the best irrigation strategies for maximising sugar yield. However, the results have been used to help develop a research program involving field experimentation in conjunction with crop simulation modelling. The survey results represent one of the most comprehensive data sets on irrigation practices gathered anywhere in the Australian sugar industry.