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Best Management Guidelines for Sustainable Irrigated Agriculture

Contents

• Disclaimer
• Foreword
• Summary
• 1 Introduction
  • 1.1 Purpose of Project
  • 1.2 Approach
  • 1.3 Recommended Indicators
• 2 Basic Principles of Irrigation
  • 2.1 The Soil-Water Balance
  • 2.2 Measuring Crop Water Use
    • 2.2.1 Soil Moisture Measurements
  • 2.2.3 Evapotranspiration Measurements and Methods
  • 2.3 Water Meters
• 3 Planning New Irrigation Systems
  • 3.1 Whether to Irrigate or Not
  • 3.2 Design of New Systems
    • 3.2.1 Water Supply/System Capacity
    • 3.2.2 Application Depths and Rates
    • 3.2.3 Other Considerations for Irrigation System Selection and Design
  • 3.3 Design Check/Auditing
  • 3.4 Installation/Testing/Commissioning
  • 3.5 Documentation
• 4 Pre-Season Checks
  • 4.1 Wells and Pumps
  • 4.2 Travelling Irrigators
  • 4.3 Horticultural Systems
  • 4.4 Surface Irrigation (Borderdyke)
  • 4.5 Wastewater Irrigation Systems
  • 4.6 Carrying Out Flow Checks
• 5 Planning the Season’s Irrigation
  • 5.1 Maximising Application Efficiency
  • 5.2 Optimising the Use of Rainfall
  • 5.3 Water Supply Restrictions
  • 5.4 Where to Irrigate
  • 5.5 When to Start Irrigating Each Season
  • 5.6 Irrigating Mid Season
  • 5.7 When to Apply the Last Irrigation
  • 5.8 Systems that Apply Large Fixed Depths
  • 5.9 What to do When it Rains
  • 5.10 Irrigating in Windy Conditions
  • 5.11 How to Handle Soil Variations
  • 5.12 Irrigating with Limited System Capacity
  • 5.13 Wastewater Irrigation
    • 5.13.1 Nitrogen Loading
    • 5.13.2 Operational Guidelines
    • 5.13.3 Nuisances and Odour
  • 5.14 Energy Management Practices
    • 5.14.1 Reducing Pumping Hours
    • 5.14.2 Improving Irrigation Efficiency
    • 5.14.3 Reducing Pump Pressure 
    • 5.14.4 Improving Pump Efficiency 
    • 5.14.5 Electrical Load Management
• 6 Operating the Irrigation System
  • 6.1 Completing the Pre-season Checks
  • 6.2 Implementing the Plan
  • 6.3 Using Indicators to Monitor Progress
    • 6.3.1 Determining Baseline Indicators  
    • 6.3.2 Obtaining Daily Information  
    • 6.3.3 Determining End of Season Indicators
• 7 Reviewing the Seasons Irrigation
  • 7.1 Resource Consent Conditions
  • 7.2 Daily and Seasonal Volumes of Water Used
  • 7.3 Drainage Depths and Volumes
  • 7.4 Surface Ponding and Runoff
  • 7.5 Soil Health
  • 7.6 Nitrogen Under Effluent Irrigation
  • 7.7 Profit
  • 7.8 Production Quantity and Quality
  • 7.9 Energy Use
  • 7.10 Labour Use
  • 7.11 Regulatory Requirements
• Tables:
  • Table A: Economic Indicators
  • Table B: Environmental Indicators
  • Table C: Soil Health Indicator (water holding capacity, total organic nitrogen
    and carbon, pH, soil surface aggregates)
  • Table D: Social Indicators
• Appendices:
  • Appendix I: Information Sheet for Recording Seasonal Indicators
  • Appendix II: Daily Irrigation Information Sheet
  • Appendix III: A Method for Assessing Soil Structure
  • Appendix IV: Glossary of Irrigation Terms
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