irrigation by type in australia•5 (wisa) control nodes (1 per valve) •1 pst on control node 1 +...

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CRICOS QLD00244B NSW 02225M TEQSA:PRF12081

Adaptive Precision Broad-acre

Irrigation Systems in Australiasavings in labour, water & energy

Dr Malcolm Gillies


Toowoomba


(from ABS)

Trends in Australia

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Irrigation by type in Australia

Surface Sprinkler Drip Total Area CRICOS QLD00244B NSW 02225M TEQSA:PRF12081

Irrigation of Broadacre Crops

• Most common irrigated crops are:

• Dairy Pasture, cotton, rice, sugarcane, grains

• Irrigation is mostly surface

irrigation with some areas under

Centre pivots and Lateral moves

• The performance of surface

irrigation varies widely

• Can usually be improved through better management

• Automation is one of the answers:

• Enables improved management

• Possibility of Precision Irrigation

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(4) Optimise by

changing management

- e.g. inflow rate

and time

(3) Simulate & Evaluate

irrigation performance

SISCO Modelling

(2) Estimate the soil

infiltration rates

SISCO Calibration

(1) Measure the

irrigation

Irrimate™ for Furrow Irrigation

Re-Evaluate


(4) Optimise by

changing management

- e.g. inflow rate

and time

(3) Simulate & Evaluate

irrigation performance

SISCO Modelling

(2) Estimate the soil

infiltration rates

SISCO Calibration

(1) Measure the

irrigation

Irrimate™ for Furrow Irrigation

Re-Evaluate

Automate this Process


Lining Channels in small sections with high seepage

Total Channel Control (TCC)Where all scheme structures are controlled from farm level upwards. Minimising operational losses

Every Farm offtake is controlled by TCC and metered CRICOS QLD00244B NSW 02225M TEQSA:PRF12081

Automated Irrigation?

• The concept of automation has been around for 30+ years but it tends to be:– Too costly

– Unreliable

– Not suited to furrow irrigation

• In Last 7 years automation has been adopted Victoria(southern AUST) in border check irrigated pasture

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Example – Border Check – Pasture in Victoria

• Scheme flowmeter

• Level sensors

• Bay Gates

• Floodtech probes

• Soil mois. sensors

Floodtech –Infield depth

Level sensorCRICOS QLD00244B NSW 02225M TEQSA:PRF12081


Automation systems◼ First step = Remote control

◼ Second step = Automated control

◼ Third Step = Autonomous control


Current project funded by Cotton, Sugar and Dairy industries

Four separate field sites:

1. Furrow irrigation in sugarcane near Ayr in the Burdekin, FNQ

2. VRI Centre Pivot in cotton on Darling Downs, QLD

3. Furrow irrigation in cotton near Wee Waa, NSW

4. VRI Centre Pivot on dairy pasture in north western Tasmania

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SUGAR - The Problem

• > 95% of cane in the Burdekin is furrow irrigated

• Efficiencies ranging from 20% – 100%

• Rising water and pumping costs

• Poor irrigation can have adverse impacts on groundwater and the Great Barrier Reef

• Irrigation is very labour intensive

• Adoption of best management practices requires even more labour


Irrigation In Sugarcane

CRICOS QLD00244B NSW 02225M TEQSA:PRF12081 CRICOS QLD00244B NSW 02225M TEQSA:PRF12081

Performance of surface irrigation

Brisbane

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Burdekin Delta – Sugar CaneField Site 1 (82 ha)

Field Site 3 (51 ha)

Field Site 2 (27 ha)


Field Site 1• 5 Irrigation blocks – 82 ha, 1300m long rows• 5 (WiSA) control nodes (1 per valve)

• 1 PST on control node 1 + Doppler flowmeter inside supply

• Advance sensors (100–200m from end with nodes outside field)

• Farmer wants to minimise Tail-water


Field Site 1 – Automation System

a) Linear actuators on valves

b) Pressure sensor in cylinder/pipe

c) Flow meter on supply

d) Buried advance sensors

e) Rain gauges

Irrigation system can now be controlled from computer or smartphone (b)

(c)

(a)


Buried Advance Trigger Sensors• SISCO to identify Optimal

optimal trigger distance• Probes were buried at these

locations• Farmer now uses these

sensors to automatically switch blocks

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Net Benefit per ha

Capital cost of full system is $85/ha per yr over 7 years

Net Benefit $144/haWith yield increase $264/ha


Field Site 2 – Pressure Monitoring• Low Pressure = - pump issue? - Burst fluming?

- Valve failed to close?

• High Pressure = - valve failed to open?- Too many pumps operating?

The system can react to these Pressure Limits

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Field Site 3

• Water source:

– River pumps for furrow

– channel and recycle pit for drip

• 45 ha of Drip

• 53 ha of Furrow

• Farm is located 40km drive from home

Drip Irrigation

Furrow Blocks

Burdekin River


Field Site 3• 11 Irrigation blocks – WHOLE farm is automated

• 6 control nodes & 11 valves

• 2 pumps with flowmeters and PST’s

• 3 drain level sensors

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• Can now schedule all irrigations to occur in off peak power periods

– Offpeak is 9pm to 7am Monday–Friday + Sat and Sun

– Savings of around $122.40 per hectare

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Pump Power

Peak Tariff

PumpON

Field Site 3 – Off peak power


Benefits for Sugar Cane SitesAll sites:

• Significant labour saving and improved irrigation timing

Site 1:

• Able to save water and sell water (temporary trade)

Site 2:

• Able to save water and pumping costs

Site 3 (53 ha):

• Energy Saving of $6,487 per year (switching to off peak)

• Saving over 12,000km of driving per year

• Able to irrigate more frequently and increase crop yield.

– Yields above 200 t/ha on both drip and furrow with similar water use on both


Furrow Irrigation of Cotton


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2013-2015 trials

• Testing a range of techniques to deliver water to furrows from gravity head channels


Blind head ditch

• Head ditch flows up to 1.5 m3/s

• Field split into bays, 308 m wide (154-155 pipes)

• sPTB’s are 75mm PE pipe

Existing Head

Channel

Bank separating

bays

Field slope unaltered

sPTB’s


Using Rubicon control systems

Small Pipe through the bank system

Depth sensor for flow meas. and

control of channel system

Control Gate

Primary Channel

Secondary Channel Rotobucks

75mm (67.7 ID)

HDPE pipes

through Bank

Drop Gate in

Concrete Shute

Bay DriveTM

2m 1m 1m Cotton on standard 1m spacing

Earth Bank

Secondary head channel


Automation system for Furrow irrigated Cotton

108 ha trial

6 x 18 ha bays

Storage

Supply

channel

Set 1

Set 6

Set 5

Set 4

Set 3

Set 2

Primary head

channel

Secondary

channels

Depth

probe in

secondary

Depth

probe in

supply

Depth

probe in

primary

Depth

probe in

secondary

Channel check

structure

Rubicon

Gate

Weather

station

ECV

1,800m

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Trial Field (2015/2016)

Total area now developed on this

farm >2,000 ha


Adaptive Precision Irrigation SystemsSenses the crop requirement and applies the

correct volume of water when & where it is needed.

Ag Geo

Spatial D'base

VARIwise Irrigation

Control Logic

& SISCO Hydraulics


◼ Split the field into spatial zones

◼ Collect soil & crop information for each zone

◼Model crop in each zone and calibrate the model

using spatial crop measurements

◼ The model determines:

◼When to irrigate

◼How much to apply to

each zone

VARIwise


◼ Cameras used to determine plant growth and

cotton development (e.g. boll count)

◼ Crop model refined (daily time step) using actual

growth, soil moisture, irrigation applications

◼ VARIwise adjusts the variable rate sprinkler application

map

Original image Analysed image

Span with three cameras

VARIwise for cotton

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◼ Pasture height used for

grazing, irrigation - image

analysis for leaf length

◼ Compared with weekly

quadbike height data

Original image

VARIwise for dairy pastures

Location of cameras on pivot

Analysed image


◼ Linked with variable-rate hardware for Valley and Lindsay Zimmatic machines for cotton and dairy:

Prescription map development


• Taggle NCEA raingauge system tested over 12.5 km

• Google Earth Smartphone app

Rainfall uniformity?


Canopy Temperature – Testing in

Sugarcane and Cotton

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Adaptive Precision Broad-acre

Irrigation Systems in Australiasavings in labour, water & energy

Dr Malcolm Gillies

irrigation by type in australia•5 (wisa) control nodes (1 per valve) •1 pst on control node 1 +...

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