A preliminary evaluation of irrigation performance and in season changes under permanent raised beds on Vertosol in Queensland, Australia

Abstract

The irrigation performance of the lengthy Australian raised beds has been largely considered not optimal. Many past studies have suggested changes to current irrigation management and field design for improving irrigation performance. However, the combined impact of variable agronomic management under permanent raised beds (PRB), bed furrow configuration and seasonal changes were rarely considered during past studies. This preliminary study was conducted to identify the current irrigation performance, spatial and temporal variations in soil hydro-physical properties. The key focus was the temporal and spatial variations in lateral infiltration into the centre of permanent raised beds and to identify strategies to improve irrigation performance.