Advice
Installation of new, more efficient irrigation systems is not the only way to improve water use efficiency. Small changes can lead to big savings. The easiest gains to improve farm water use efficiency are minimising tailwater losses and improving drainage.
Installation of new, more efficient irrigation systems is not the only way to improve water use efficiency. Small changes can lead to big savings. The easiest gains to improve farm water use efficiency are minimising tailwater losses and improving drainage.
Harder to achieve are water use efficiency gains by reducing evaporative and seepage losses from storages and channels. This is where most water is lost on cotton farms.
A recent audit of environmental management within the cotton industry identified the following as the most important for improving water efficiency in the cotton industry.
Cotton Australia has developed Best Management Practices (BMP) to reduce the impacts of cotton farming on the natural environment, neighbours, workers and the community.
Harder to achieve are water use efficiency gains by reducing evaporative and seepage losses from storages and channels. This is where most water is lost on cotton farms.
A recent audit of environmental management within the cotton industry identified the following as the most important for improving water efficiency in the cotton industry.
Ongoing improvements are being made in applying water efficiently to cotton fields, including extensive water use efficiency research and implementation. All of the irrigated farms inspected are pursuing, or are investigating, methods to maximise applied water use efficiency and minimise water application losses. Good practices were observed to minimise water storage and transmission losses.
However, there does not appear to be equivalent attention to addressing the issue of minimising water losses during storage and distribution around the farm. Most farmers were not aware of how much water was lost through evaporation and/or leakage and water balances had not been conducted.
However, there does not appear to be equivalent attention to addressing the issue of minimising water losses during storage and distribution around the farm. Most farmers were not aware of how much water was lost through evaporation and/or leakage and water balances had not been conducted.
Cotton Australia has developed Best Management Practices (BMP) to reduce the impacts of cotton farming on the natural environment, neighbours, workers and the community.