Cowra Site – POTATOES

Applied Horticultural Research (AHR) and RMCG are setting up an irrigation monitoring site in a centre pivot irrigated potato paddock near Cowra.

Wildeye soil moisture monitors will continuously monitor two depths (15cm and 30cm), and the SWICP2 team will develop a water budget to forecast irrigation requirements for the week ahead.

IrriSAT app will also be used for crop growth rates calculation, crop water use forecasts, along with NDVI images showing field variability.

Growers will be able to follow the progress and watch the team monitor the irrigation over the internet on Soil Wealth social media.

This project has been funded by Hort Innovation using the vegetable research and development levy and contributions from the Australian Government.

Bathurst site – PUMPKINS

Cover crops (ryecorn, oat and vetch) were grown mostly on winter moisture, terminated and rolled down ahead of strip tillage. Clomazone herbicide was applied post sow/pre-emergence (PSPE) to the pumpkins and a small control area was left to monitor weed suppression from the ryecorn cover crop and reduced tillage (strip till).

Wildeye moisture monitors indicate that the bigger biomass crop of ryecorn dried the soil out more than the oat and vetch. The SWICP team fully expects the ryecorn ground cover to help infiltration, reduce evaporation and be a big benefit through the coming summer months. Bathurst is on severe water restrictions and saving water is paramount.

More details and photos on the demo site Facebook page.