Salinity control by pumping and re-using groundwater: its effect on watertable levels, soil salinity and farm productivity on a dairy property in the Goulburn Valley, Victoria

1986 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 669
Author(s):  
AF Heuperman ◽  
AP Repsys ◽  
AH Mehanni
Keyword(s):  
Soil Salinity ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Groundwater Pumping ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Farm Productivity ◽  
Salinity Control ◽  
Butter Fat ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Dry Soil ◽  
Productive Land

The introduction of watertable control by groundwater pumping on a salt-affected dairy farm in the Goulburn Valley resulted in large increases in butter fat production. Since intensive pumping started, in 1981, watertable levels showed an overall downward trend but were still subject to major fluctuations caused by irrigation and rainfall. During this period butterfat production increased from about 300 to 390 kg/ha (of productive land) and yearly pasture production rose from about 560 to 650 t/ha DM. These productivity increases are attributed to both a reduction in average soil salinity in the top 60 cm of the profile from 2400 to 1200 mg total dissolved salts per kg dry soil and an increase in irrigation water use from less than 10 M litre/ha before to nearly 12 M litre/ha after pumping started.

Effect of groundwater pump management on reclaiming salinised land in the Goulburn Valley, Victoria

1995 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 215 ◽  
Author(s):  
CP Norman
Keyword(s):  
Soil Salinity ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Groundwater Pumping ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Salinity Control ◽  
Management Regime ◽  
Matter Production ◽  
Salinity Levels ◽  
Intermittent Pumping

In 1985, groundwater pumping from shallow aquifers, with off-farm disposal, began near Girgarre in the Goulburn Valley, Victoria, to provide salinity control to about 1000 ha of farming land. Two groundwater pumps (TI02 and T103) ran continuously for the first 5 years of the project before reverting to intermittent pumping. The operation of a third pump (T103) was based on the capacity for disposal into an evaporation basin. Following 3 years of groundwater pumping, significant reductions in root-zone (0-0.6 m) soil salinity levels were recorded in both annual and perennial pasture paddocks within 350 m of a pump. Yields of perennial pasture on all monitored paddocks showed a significant increase after commencement of the project. In a paddock 300 m from a groundwater pump, average dry matter production increased from 6.3 to 17.2 t/ha. year within 4 years of pumping. Reclamation was reduced by more than a year on paddocks not subjected to irrigation, or those located >800 m from a groundwater pump. Once reclamation was achieved from continuous pumping, the introduction of intermittent pumping continued to maintain optimum soil salinity and pasture production levels on the irrigated paddocks. However, on a dryland paddock and those located >800 m from a pump, increasing fluctuations in soil salinity and soil sodicity levels were measured under this management regime.

Options for management of saline groundwater in an irrigated farming system

2004 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 181 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Bethune ◽  
O. A. Gyles ◽  
Q. J. Wang
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Farm ◽  
River System ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Groundwater Pumping ◽  
Salt Tolerant ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Saline Groundwater ◽  
Forage Crop ◽  
Farm Production ◽  
Reduced Salt

Groundwater pumping is used to control salinity problems in many irrigation regions of Australia. Options for managing the pumped groundwater are required to be consistent with achieving high farm production levels and minimising salt export from irrigation regions. In this study, pasture production and economic aspects of 6 options for managing pumped groundwater are compared. The 6 options include (i) complete farm reuse of pumped groundwater for irrigation; (ii) complete export to river system; (iii) complete disposal to evaporation basin; (iv) partial farm reuse with reduced salt export; (v) partial farm reuse with reduced disposal to evaporation basin; and (vi) partial farm reuse with disposal to a salt tolerant forage crop. The comparison between the 6 options is made for a hypothetical 100 ha dairy farm that has a perennial pasture based production system. Complete farm reuse was the most economic option in areas where groundwater salinity is low (<5 dS/m). Partial farm reuse with disposal of surplus groundwater to a salt tolerant forage species was the most economical option for managing higher salinity groundwater.

Dairy farm impacts of fencing riparian land: Pasture production and farm productivity

2013 ◽  
Vol 130 ◽  
pp. 255-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon R. Aarons ◽  
Alice R. Melland ◽  
Lianne Dorling
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Farm Productivity

Addressing on-farm management to enhance pasture productivity and persistence

2013 ◽  
pp. 241-244
Author(s):  
W.N. Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategies ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Pasture Management ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Operating Profit ◽  
The North ◽  
The Cost ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Attention To Detail

Following the 2007/08 drought, we experienced poor pasture production and persistence on our dairy farm in north Waikato, leading to decreased milksolids production and a greater reliance on bought-in feed. It is estimated that the cost of this to our farming operation was about $1300 per hectare per year in lost operating profit. While climate and black beetle were factors, they did not explain everything, and other factors were also involved. In the last 3 years we have changed our management strategies to better withstand dry summers, the catalyst for which was becoming the DairyNZ Pasture Improvement Focus Farm for the north Waikato. The major changes we made were to reduce stocking rate, actively manage pastures in summer to reduce over-grazing, and pay more attention to detail in our pasture renewal programme. To date the result has been a reduced need for pasture renewal, a lift in whole farm performance and increased profitability. Keywords: Focus farm, over-grazing, pasture management, pasture persistence, profitability

On the effectiveness of dry drainage in soil salinity control

2009 ◽  
Vol 52 (11) ◽  
pp. 3328-3334 ◽  
Author(s):  
JingWei Wu ◽  
LiRong Zhao ◽  
JieSheng Huang ◽  
JinZhong Yang ◽  
Bernard Vincent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Salinity ◽  
Salinity Control

Effect of stubble height and irrigation management on the growth, botanical composition and persistence of perennial ryegrass, tall fescue and chicory swards in cool-temperate Tasmania

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam D. Langworthy ◽  
Richard P. Rawnsley ◽  
Mark J. Freeman ◽  
Ross Corkrey ◽  
Keith G. Pembleton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Tall Fescue ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Irrigation Treatment ◽  
Full Irrigation ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
North West ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Cool Temperate

The profitability of dairying in south-eastern Australia can be improved by increasing pasture production during summer–autumn, when growth rates for the existing perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) feedbase are low. A study undertaken in cool-temperate north-west Tasmania examined the effect of stubble height and irrigation management on swards of perennial ryegrass, continental (summer-active) tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and chicory (Cichorium intybus L.). Irrigation treatments included full irrigation (~20mm applied at every 20mm precipitation deficit), deficit irrigation (~20mm applied at alternate full-irrigation events) and rainfed (no irrigation). All species achieved greater summer–autumn yields when repeatedly defoliated to stubble heights of 35 or 55mm than when defoliated to 115mm, irrespective of irrigation treatment. Swards were managed under a common defoliation schedule of nine defoliation events in 12 months. Under full irrigation, second-year tall fescue achieved a greater summer–autumn yield than perennial ryegrass (by 10%, or 0.7 t DM ha–1), highlighting the potential role of tall fescue in north-west Tasmania. This was further demonstrated by the high marginal irrigation water-use index values (1.6–2.7 t DM ML–1) of tall fescue. By contrast, summer–autumn growth achieved by chicory was less than or equal to perennial ryegrass.

scholarly journals Five-Year Experimental Study on Effectiveness and Sustainability of a Dry Drainage System for Controlling Soil Salinity

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changshu Wang ◽  
Jingwei Wu ◽  
Wenzhi Zeng ◽  
Yan Zhu ◽  
Jiesheng Huang
Keyword(s):  
Soil Salinity ◽  
Soil Column ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
Irrigation District ◽  
Soil Permeability ◽  
Ecological Value ◽  
Salinity Control ◽  
Excess Water ◽  
Salt Crust ◽  
To Receive

The dry drainage system (DDS) is an alternative technique for controlling salinization. To quantify its role in soil salinity control, a five-year field observation from 2007 to 2011 was completed in a 2900 ha experimental plot in Yonglian Experimental Station, Hetao Irrigation District, China. Results showed that the groundwater table depth in the fallow areas quickly responded to the lateral recharge from the surrounding croplands during irrigation events. The groundwater electrical conductivity (GEC) of fallow areas increased from 5 mS·cm−1 to 15 mS·cm−1, whereas the GEC below croplands produced small fluctuations. The analysis of water and salt balance showed that the excess water that moved to fallow was roughly four times that moved by an artificial drainage system and with 7.7 times the corresponding salt. The fallow areas act as a drainage repository to receive excess water and salt from surrounding irrigated croplands. Slight salt accumulation occurred in irrigated croplands and salts accumulated, with an accelerating trend over the final two years. The evaporation capability weakened, partly due to the salt crust in the topsoil, and the decrease in soil permeability in the soil column, which was almost impermeable to water. Using halophytes may be an effective method to remove salts that have accumulated in fallow areas, having great economic and ecological value. A DDS may be effective and sustainable in situations where the fallow areas can sustain an upward capillary flux from planted halophytes.

scholarly journals Water Conservation Versus Soil Salinity Control

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 647-660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain Ayong Le Kama ◽  
Agnes Tomini
Keyword(s):  
Soil Salinity ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Salinity Control
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