Abstract:
Water consumption in the irrigation sector has a perception of being a high water consumer, these perceptions are not wrong. Currently it represents 53% of total water consumption in Victoria (ABS, 2010). This body of work continues on what many others have achieved in understanding the efficiency of the practice of fast-flow irrigation (Gillies et al., 2010; Smith et al., 2009). Through few trials were conducted during the two month trial period due to a wetter-than-average summer, application efficiencies of over 99% were obtained for all trials. Comparatively such efficiencies for slow-flow irrigation have been shown to range between 46- 86% (Smith et al., 2009). It is universally acknowledged by many in the irrigation industry that fast-flow irrigation has the ability to reduce water consumption in the sector at a modest cost. It is this cost that is usually in the form of increased labor and technology requirements, thus a balanced approach to aiming to reduce water consumption and management of the associated costs is important to the success of any productivity improvement program.
