Case Study
Growing rice with less water and labour
With the touch of a button, De Bortoli Wines Farm Operations Manager Darrell Fiddler was able to irrigate part of his rice crop this season. He didn’t have to be in the paddock. Or on the farm. Technically, he didn’t even have to be in the state. That’s because he used a smart sensing app that enabled him to open and close irrigation bays remotely. Darrell found using smart sensing automation technology not only made irrigating easier, but it also reduced water usage while trimming labour and production costs. This research is part of the Smarter Irrigation for Profit Phase 2 rice project, led by Associate Professor John Hornbuckle from Deakin University. More details are in the Agrifutures article in the following link.
Growing rice with less water and labour | AgriFutures Australia
Key points:
Smart sensor technology feeds information from the field to irrigation outlets to determine the timing and volume of water required for a crop.
Trials have revealed water and labor savings from the innovative technology.
One aerobic rice production trial at Bilbul in the Riverina, NSW, yielded 1.1 tonnes of rice for every megalitre of irrigation water.
