A new fact sheet has been developed to help irrigators make informed decision on utilising irrigation water this summer.
The Fact Sheet – ‘What is evapotranspiration (ET) and how do I use it to schedule irrigations?’ – is a response to increasing interest in irrigation scheduling techniques.
ET is calculated by using local daily weather measurements to more accurately determine crop irrigation requirements. The measure is now commonly used by irrigators to schedule irrigations, helping to achieve increased yields and higher water efficiency.
Agriculture Victoria Senior Irrigation Officer Rob O’Connor has been distributing ET data to irrigators for the past 4 years.
“It’s hoped the fact sheet answers some of the common questions irrigators have about ET,” Mr O’Connor said.
Mr O’Connor is currently sending actual and forecast ET information to 400 irrigators and service providers from dairy, cropping, horticulture, meat and wool each week and always welcomes new subscribers.
Mr O’Connor said ET is not meant to replace existing scheduling methods that irrigators already have in place.
“It complements existing methods, and provides irrigators with more confidence in their decisions, particularly when a different type of crop or irrigation system is involved,” he said.
The fact sheet can be viewed at agriculture.vic.gov.au/irrigation.
