Strategies for Maximising Sugarcane Yield with Limited Water in the Bundaberg District

Between 1995 and 2003 sugarcane farmers in Bundaberg had access to limited irrigation water. Over this time water allocations were effectively a quarter of the requirements for a fully irrigated crop. In response to this problem irrigation strategies were developed to assist farmers. Field investigations focused on the performance of water winch and furrow irrigation systems, which make up 91% of the irrigated area in the district. As most of these application systems have insufficient capacity to meet crop demands, opportunities to schedule irrigations were limited to start up after rain. Improvements in irrigation system performance were found to provide the greatest potential to increase sugarcane yield under conditions of limited water. Investigations identified that irrigation performance could be significantly improved through relatively minor adjustment. Timing of irrigation start up after rain influenced how much water could be applied to the field. Even with relatively low allocations delayed start up strategies could lead to a situation where water was left over at the end of the season.