IRRIGATORS SAVE WATER BY SMS

The text message is about to become an important tool for Queensland irrigators concerned with improving their water use efficiency.

Natural Resources and Water Minister Craig Wallace today launched a new mobile phone messaging system developed by the Cooperative Research Centre for Irrigation Futures (CRC IF) that advises farmers how much water their crops require each day.

The system, irriGATEWAY:SMS, uses weather station data to calculate how much irrigation is needed by plants on individual farms and then sends subscribers a text message each morning outlining an irrigation plan for that day.

"This is an invaluable piece of technology that invests in the State Government's vision of a sustainable future for Queensland," Mr Wallace said.

"It will let irrigators know exactly how much and how long to irrigate their crops, and they can access the information quickly and easily, even while they are in the field.

"Recommendations are tailored for each farm and will take into account a range of data including recent rainfall levels, evaporation, temperature and sunshine, plus basic information about crop types.

"At a time when we're all concerned with best practice, maximum efficiency and sustainable water use, this system is a real breakthrough."

Minister Wallace said CRC IF was formed in 2003 to deliver research, education and training for growers, industry, government agencies and community groups.

"The Queensland Government is a proud CRC IF partner, providing financial and in-kind support that invests in better methods of irrigation and a better and more sustainable future for Queensland," he said.

"I am delighted that we have been able to assist in the development of tools that will help irrigators make the best decisions about water use."

Mr Wallace said the CRC IF toolkit also included:

·a dam evaporation calculator to enable irrigators to decide when to use evaporation mitigation technologies; and

·an on-line indicator that determines the amount of moisture loss from soil and plants.

"This last tool can predict past and current water vapour loss generated from automatic weather station observations to a five kilometre square grid," Mr Wallace said.

"When combined with the new SMS technology, irrigators can build a clear, effective irrigation plan for their property, and update their information at the touch of a keypad."

Media contact: Minister Wallace’s office, 3896 3688.