Improving whole farm and infield irrigation efficiencies using Irrimate tools

Abstract

Whole farm irrigation water includes all pumped, delivered, captured, distributed and/or stored water within the farm gate. Utilisation of rainfall, recycled irrigation water, and harvested overland flows are included in the on-farm water volume. In assessing the performance of on-farm irrigation systems it is necessary to recognise that there are both agronomic and volumetric components of the system and that both contribute to the overall productive output. Evaluation of irrigation performance at the whole farm scale using total volumetric inputs and total production outputs provides a benchmark for comparative purposes but fails to provide an adequate diagnostic tool to identify either the source of inefficiencies or appropriate strategies to improve performance. Hence, diagnostic performance evaluation requires the measurement of the inputs and outputs for each sub-component of the system in a way which enables the partitioning of losses and the identification of the importance of specific loss mechanisms.