Farming Ahead Articles
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2000
(nothing in December 2000)
No. 107 November 2000 p. 37
Rapid soil
test in progress
(In-paddock soil test combines advances in computing, statistical software
and mid-infrared (MIR) technology to produce a fast, accurate and cheap
analysis system).
Contact: Richard Merry
No. 107 November 2000 p. 49-51
Windbreaks
pay off for high value crops
CSIRO research has shown windbreaks can lift crop and pasture yields in
some areas. Windbreaks lower the incidence of direct damage to crops by
protecting them from wind erosion or reducing wind erosion in sandy soils.
By Helen Cleugh
No. 106 October 2000 p. 40
Soil water
use in spotlight
(A new computer package, Soil Water Infiltration and Movement version
2 (SWIMv2), is now being widely used to assess and increase the productivity
and environmental sustainability of Australian agricultural landscapes).
Contact: Keith Bristow
No. 106 October 2000 p. 40
Deep drains
impact on salinity
(A study is underway to determine the role deep groundwater drains can
play in maintaining crop production in regions with highly saline watertables).
Contact: Riasat Ali
No. 106 October 2000 p. 40
Irrigation
network in progress
(The National Irrigation Science Network initiative).
Contact: Margaret Bryant
(nothing in September 2000)
No. 104 August 2000 p. 34
Bush tucker
on research menu
(A four-year trial will investigate how to best grow and harvest native
foods).
Contact: Maarten Ryder
No. 104 August 2000 p. 36-37
Software
package lifts water efficiency
A new computer program is helping farmers improve irrigation efficiency
by evaluating crop rotations and water use before the tractor enters the
paddock.
By Wayne Meyer and Shahbaz Khan
No. 103 July 2000 p. 22-23
Practical
program predicts pesticide pollution
The Pesticide Impact Rating Index calculates and individual pesticide’s
impact on surrounding water bodies by taking into account its chemical
properties, application rate and frequency, and then factoring in local
site conditions along with seasonal and soil variables. Refers: Rai Kookana,
Ray Correll, ongoing pesticide research.
By Lynne Griffiths, CSIRO
No. 103 July 2000 p. 25
River
health aids allocation
(By understanding the relationships between nutrients and plant/animal
life in rivers, scientists hope to find answers to the question ‘how
much water is needed to keep rivers healthy?’)
Contact: Andrew Herczeg
No. 102 June 2000 p. 41
Drainage
meter keeps check on recharge
Farmers could soon be monitoring the effect of their management practices
on watertables with an easy-to-use drainage meter.
By Paul Hutchinson and Fiona Myers
No. 102 June 2000 p. 61-63
Better
pasture management increases fixation
CSIRO scientists Jeff Baldock and Mark Peoples explain how farmers can
maximise the nitrogen benefits of legume pastures through improved management
practices.
(nothing in May 2000)
No. 100 April 2000 p. 68-69
Underground
dams bolster water reserves
Farmers may soon be able to collect water fun off in winter and store
it underground in aquifers. The ‘underground dams’ concept
is being trialled across Australia.
Refers: Peter Dillon, CSIRO Land and Water and Centre for Groundwater
Studies, and Simon Toze.
No. 100 April 2000 p. 68-69
Algae proves no threat to milk
Dairy farmers need not fear that cows exposed to the most common of Australia’s
toxic blue green algae will produce contaminated milk, according to the
latest CSIRO research. Refers: Gary Jones, CSIRO Land and Water.
No. 99 March 2000 p. 18-19
Mapping
yields more efficient farming
Precision agriculture has provided the tools for one farming family to
become more efficient with their resources. After five years the information
has formed a detailed picture of what is happening in each paddock. Ongoing
use of the technology will better enable farmers to understand in-paddock
yield variations.
By Matthew Adams and Simon Cook.
No. 98 February 2000 p. 9
Algal blooms
trapped in film
(Farmers may have a new tool for managing algal blooms in fresh water
sources in the near future: Phoslock, an absorbent clay substance, is
being tested in the Canning River, Perth, Western Australia.)
Contact: Grant Douglas.
No. 97 January 2000 p. 40-41
Salty
water proves a potential asset
New research may have found a way to turn the problem of salty drainage
water into a profitable asset for irrigation farmers. (Sequential biological
concentration system that re-uses irrigation water).
By John Blackwell and Fiona Myers
For further information please contact the Communication
Group.
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