Thursday, 04 May 2023 10:55

Subsurface drip irrigation trail

Written by  Staff Reporters
Gary and Penny Robinson of Robinson Subsurface Drip Irrigation at Linwood Park in Christchurch where their underground irrigation system is being installed. Gary and Penny Robinson of Robinson Subsurface Drip Irrigation at Linwood Park in Christchurch where their underground irrigation system is being installed.

Cust dairy grazers Gary and Penny Robinson have advanced their subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) trial with positive feedback from farmers following field days at trial blocks in North Canterbury and Central Otago.

The system is also being installed at Linwood Park in Christchurch.

Gary and Penny are participating in Next Generation Farming; a project that aims to help farmers meet tough nitrate caps while maintaining their viability. As part of this project, farmers like the Robinsons are using innovation and demonstrating its productivity and environmental benefits to their neighbours in the region and beyond.

Waimakiriri Landcare Trust (WLT) and Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL) have partnered with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) for the project, with support from MPI’s Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund along with Environment Canterbury, Ballance, and DairyNZ.

SDI’s low-pressure system saves water and power and improves crop yields by eliminating surface water evaporation and reducing the incidence of weeds and disease. Water is applied directly to the root zone of the crop and not to the soil surface.

Gary and Penny recently held two field days at trial blocks in Cust, North Canterbury and in Maniototo, Central Otago which were well received by farmers and industry partners.

Despite heavy rain during the Cust field day, Penny says farmers were keen to learn about subsurface irrigation and seeing the system in the ground and being able to ask practical questions built a stronger understanding of how the system works.

“The weather wasn’t in our favour, but we still had a good turnout, and everyone was very engaged and interested. From the questions asked and discussion we had, SDI does seem to be accepted as a viable solution and option for irrigation in New Zealand.”

Over 50 farmers turned out for the Maniototo field day where the difference between the 18-hectare test block using subsurface irrigation and the adjacent block using traditional irrigation was evident, says Gary.

“It was a stinking hot day, and it was perfect because they have had a hot and dry summer down there so you could really see the difference with lush green grass growing on the block where we have installed the SDI.

“The farmer, Luke Jeffries, is really impressed with the system and after the field day we had quite a few local farmers approach us to learn more.”

Gary and Penny are now focused on gathering data to prove the benefits of the subsurface drip irrigation system.

More like this

Featured

RWNZ applauds hormone patch funding rethink

Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) says it welcomes recently announced consultation on Pharmac’s funding of ostradiol patches used by women going through perimenopause and menopause.

National

Machinery & Products

Gong for NH dealers

New Holland dealers from around Australia and New Zealand came together last month for the Dealer of the Year Awards,…

A true Kiwi ingenuity

The King Cobra raingun continues to have a huge following in the New Zealand market and is also exported to…

Data crucial to managing water

Watermetrics was formed as a water data collector and currently supplies and services modern technology such as flow meters, soil…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

King Island rescue

OPINION: Two Australian cheesemakers have rescued the iconic Tasmanian cheese company King Island Dairy.

Baileys vegan flavour

OPINION: World famous liqueur maker Baileys is the latest to dabble with plant-based products.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter