NSW Agriculture Biosecurity and Mine Safety Divis : Direct drill dividend

14 Jan 2016

This season's low water allocations have seen rice growers adopt new research which showed how direct drilling and delayed permanent water (DPW) can deliver water savings and increase gross margins by up to 59 per cent.

NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) research agronomist, Brian Dunn, said a recently completed five-year research project with the Ricegrowers' Association and Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research has given rice growers viable water solutions.

Local agribusiness advisers say up to 80 per cent of crops in the Coleambally Irrigation Area were drill sown this season - that's a huge turnaround from 10 years ago when just 20 per cent of crops were direct sown,' Mr Dunn said.

Growers who delay permanent water application can save 2.5 megalitres per hectare compared with traditional drill sowing and 4.5 megalitres better than aerial sowing and can use that extra water to grow more rice and increase gross margins.

The direct drill-DPW approach means growers can avoid issues with ducks, wind and muddy water, there's often no need to spray broadleaf weeds and risk spray drift issues, they can sow on time and apply water and nitrogen once water availability is assured.

Traditionally rice crops are aerial sown or dry seeded and grown in ponded water for about 140 days.

Drill sowing shortens ponding to about 105 days and with DPW ponding can be reduced to 75 days, which reduces evaporation and water loss.

Mr Dunn said growers must have good layouts and drainage for early flush irrigation, where water is applied and then drained in less than 18 hours to ensure good plant establishment.

Longer intervals between flushes deliver greater water savings and we've seen that rice handles moisture stress very well and recovers quickly from drying events during the vegetative growth stage between germination and flowering.

We recommend that permanent water is applied 10 to 14 days before panicle initiation, anytime up to Christmas or earlier if weeds or other issues develop - clearly the later permanent water is applied the greater the water savings.

Grass weeds can be difficult to control and advise growers to choose paddocks with a good weed control history.

A new DPI research project in partnership with the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation is assessing growth, yield, grain quality and timing of panicle initiation and harvest for current rice varieties for aerial and drill sowing and DPW.

Media contact: Bernadette York 6938 1664, 0427 773 785