Horticultural management in times of water scarcity

Jason Size, Bookpurnong, SA

Background information• Brands orchard was established after

WWII

• In 1994 “Bookpurnong Fruits” partnership established

• In 2009 plantings have expanded to

17 Ha for Bookpurnong Fruits

and 15 Ha for Brand & co

• Pre 1994- Individual growers selling

• Quality Fruit Marketing (QFM) established in 1994

• Trading as “Zest - the great taste every time”• A vertically integrated company

• Recent investments- single packing house , Variety evaluation site.

Marketing For The Future

Innovations in Horticulture

• Constant change

• Chemical trials – maturity delay, crop control

• IPM pest reduction

• Frost reduction strategies

• Soil based micro organism renewal strategies

• Implementation of moisture monitoring devices.

• Change in irrigation application systems

• Evaluation in new varieties for future plantings

Innovations in Horticulture Cont’d

Drought Proofing

• Is it possible to drought proof?

Yes! – but it takes time.

• How has Bookpurnong fruits handled the drought and or “low water allocations”?

Improving Delivery Systems

• Pre 80’s - overhead irrigation• Post 80’s - under tree full row cover irrigation.

• Late 80’s- conversion of full row cover sprinklers to partial row cover sprinklers.

• Use of Tensiometers

• Early 2000 - started converting and trialling dripper technology and systems.

• Standardised valve mechanism and grouping for irrigating purposes.

• Change to capacitance probe moisture monitoring systems.

Improving Delivery Systems

Automatic control system implemented

Automatic Control in 2008

Grower advice on Delivery Systems• No system is either perfect or totally automatic.

• All moisture’s need to be physically checked.

• Irrigation systems need to be monitored and

checked regularly.

• We view every irrigation event and physically check our crop daily.

• Implementation of a Grape marc mulching program in the 1980’s

Moisture Retention

Record keeping• You need to keep good records!

• Frequent meter records are critical.

• Development of IRES (Irrigation Recording and Evaluation System software) by Rural Solutions SA.

• Government funding for on-farm trial of software from 2005.

• 75% of water use in Bookpurnong monitored through IRES.

• Every valve mapped on property

• All flows recorded & checked

• Tracking of water usage

• Ability to enter production information

• Monitoring function

• District scale field application efficiency report

Irrigation Recording & Evaluation System (IRES)

Cumulative Irrigation Graph

Ability to overlay moisture monitoring information to adjust specific crop factors against historic or out of date crop factor information.

9.0

5.7

7.77.0

12.6

6.4

8.98.0

10.1

6.5

10.4

7.98.7

4.8

10.4

6.55.2

6.6

10.0

6.2

0.74

0.86 0.86

0.80

0.57

0.85

0.80

0.74

0.78

0.96

0.73

0.860.86

1.00

0.75

0.91

0.83

0.94

0.80

0.90

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

18.0

20.0

Citrus Winegrapes Other Total

CROP

AVE

RA

GE

ML/

ha

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

FIEL

D A

PPLI

CA

TIO

N E

FFIC

IEN

CY

(Ea)

2003/4 2004/5 2005/6 2006/7 2007/8 2003/4 2004/5 2005/6 2006/7 2007/8

BL4EA Yearly Comparison

Have we drought proofed?

• 1995 total water use – 170Mg on 10.79 Hectares (30 acres)

• 2008 water use – combined orchards 170 Mg on 26.17 Hectares (66.5 acres).

• We have more than doubled our efficiency as well as improved our productivity.

• Knowing when to buy and at what price.

• Critical Water Allocations in 2008/09.

• Carry-over of water for next year

Government Policies

Community & Government Actions

• Development of the Bookpurnong-Lock 4 Land and Water Management Plan in 1999 which identified the key local issues and management options.

•An upgraded Land and water management Plan (LWMP) was finalized in late 2009 that will address the ‘new’ priorities.

- Funding provided through the NAP/NHT program via the SA Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board.

Community & Government Actions• Bookpurnong Salt Interception Scheme.

- Funded by the MDBC

• Establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding as a demonstration and commitment for government & community to work together to progress new ideas and concepts within the region

Community & Government working together

Conclusion

Our Business success has come from a holistic approach to:

•Utilising marketing tools

•Advancements in irrigation and horticultural practices

•Participating in Community and Government programs

Acknowledgments• Bookpurnong-Lock 4 Environmental Association and

community• Loxton-Bookpurnong Local Action Planning

Association• South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural

Resources Management Board• Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity

Conservation• Irrigated Crop Management Service

Thank you for listening