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R and J Sellwood
With 70 per cent of Victoria’s water used predominantly for flood irrigation, Undera farmers Ray and Jo Sellwood are refining their Subsurface Drip Irrigation system (SDI) to suit Australia’s dry farming conditions.
The Sellwood’s have saved 336ML of water over 140 hectares on their mixed farming property using the SDI system. A further 76ML of water was saved over 60 hectares with the use of overhead irrigation (crop establishment only) and soil moisture monitoring equipment.
Based on an irrigation technique used in Israel and USA, the Sellwood’s first trialled their SDI system on tomatoes followed by maize, with initial results showing a 30 per cent water saving and a 25 per cent yield increase. Further trials on Lucerne were even more encouraging, with a 25 per cent water saving and a 40 per cent yield increase.
Lambs are currently being trailed to evaluate the durability of a SDI system
“Not only are we preventing water wastage on the property associated with traditional flood irrigation, we are discouraging nutrients running into streams and rivers, further protecting the natural environment,” says Mr Sellwood. “Increasingly, we are gaining the attention of industry groups, government figures and international organisations as our innovative SDI system is a proven agricultural advancement in water conservation for Australia.”
Based on an irrigation technique used in Israel and USA, the Sellwood’s first trialled their SDI system on tomatoes followed by maize, with initial results showing a 30 per cent water saving and a 25 per cent yield increase. Further trials on Lucerne were even more encouraging, with a 25 per cent water saving and a 40 per cent yield increase.
Lambs are currently being trailed to evaluate the durability of a SDI system
“Not only are we preventing water wastage on the property associated with traditional flood irrigation, we are discouraging nutrients running into streams and rivers, further protecting the natural environment,” says Mr Sellwood. “Increasingly, we are gaining the attention of industry groups, government figures and international organisations as our innovative SDI system is a proven agricultural advancement in water conservation for Australia.”