Aerated water irrigation on table grapes

Surya P. Bhattarai, David J. Midmore and Lance Pendergast

Introduction & outline

Background to oxygation research

Introduction to concept “Oxygation”, what is it?

Brief overview of research to date

Grapes

Future focus / activities

Plant / oxygen Active roots are major sinks for oxygen in plants -consume about x 9 their volume of oxygen gas

each day

In plant cells, oxygen participates in over 200 different cellular chemical reactions

95 % oxygen consumption is devoted towards energy needs (production of ATP) from carbohydrates)

Poor soil aeration is a major abiotic stress that limits

the success of crops

Left: Wetting front after 10 h irrigation @ 1.7 l h-1 from simulated emitter at 0.30 m in a loamy soil (Battam et al., 2003).

Right: Simulated wetting front after 12 h irrigation applied at 1.25 l h-1 from emitter installed at a depth of 0.40 m in a sandy (left) and clay (right) soil (Source: Thorburn et al., 2001)

Bigger wetting front in clay

Water

in-ai

r

out

Wetting front ubiquitous of

SDI

Research for Impact (Concept testing-industry adoption)Oxygation@CQU

Driver: Improving crop water productivity Issue: Impeded soil aeration associated with irrigation

Approach: Aerated water irrigation (oxygation)

Theory-1 MixaeratorSeairM-Air injector

TestAdoptVerify

Improve Diversify

Field trials, research outreach and industry collaboration for oxygation of annual and perennial crops

6

Cotton field trials

Lint yield (bales/ha) in vertosol over seven seasons

Results: 14.7% higher lint yield

Location: Nyang, Emerald, Soil: Vertosol, Irrigation: SDI, Trt: Oxygation & control, Replication:~6, Plot size:0.4 ha, Paddock: 0.4 x 12=4.8ha, Air injector: 12% by MI-1583, Irrigation: 6.3ML/ha

Pineapple @Valley Syndicate, YeppoonPlanting:24/10/07 (GC-2), Oxygation:14/03/08, Harvest:05/01-17/04/09, Mazzei-1583, Drip-Hydro PC 16/20 0.3m 1.2L/hr

1/1/08 1/7/08 1/1/09 1/7/09 1/1/10 1/7/10 1/1/11

Cum

ulat

ive

irrig

atio

n (M

L ha-1

)

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

Control Oxygation

Treatments

1Harvested yield (t/ha) 2Industry yield (t/ha) Phytophthora

(% plants)Main crop Ratoo

n

Total Main crop Ratoon Total

Control 68.20 38.17 106.37 50.92 18.25 69.17

4.9

Oxygation

79.60 54.11 133.71 53.08 20.18 73.26

3.0

No-irrigation

71.30 19.07 90.37 49.50 16.42 65.92

10.5

P value 0.005 0.001 0.032 0.295 0.051 0.076

<0.001

LSD(p≤0.05)

6.43 10.76 12.36 n.s. 3.17 7.39 1.379

Industries Table grapes site 1 Table grapes site 2Collaborator Mr Jim Sands/Don Wills (completed) Mr Glen Pearmine (Continuing)

Address AACC, Emerald Campus, QLD 4720 Glency grape, Talafa Rd, QLD 4720

Crop history Planted 2001/2002 Planted 2001/2002

Soil type Sandy loam Vertosols

Variety Flame Menindee

Treatments Oxygation and control, surface and subsurface drip irrigation, 5 reps

Oxygation & control, above ground drip irrigation, 4 replications

Plot size 100x90m,30 rows @ 3 m x 2.5 spacing

1.13 ha G block, 142 m long28 rows@ 3m x 2.5m spacing

Air injector Mazzei air injector MI 1078 Mazzei air injector MI 1078

Oxygation 12% commenced 14/02/09 12% commenced 24/03/09

Crop stage Bearing, whole harvest Dec 2010 Bearing, fruit harvest Dec 2009-13

Preliminary data on crop and soil

Crop growth, biomass, irrigation, drainage, soil moisture,

Fruit setting and yield, crop water inputs, infiltration, gas exchange

Irrigation details Netafim drip, surface and subsurface ,0.75m emitter, 2.7L/h flow rate.

Netafim drip tube above ground @ 0.5m emitter, 2L/h flow rate.

Table grapes at Emerald QLD

Treatments Leaf photosynthesis(µ mol/m2/S)

Stomatal conductance ( mol/m2/S)

Transpiration rate (mmol/m2/S)

Leaf chlorophyll (SPAD)

Fluorescien (µg /g dwsoil/h)

Soil respiration (g CO2/m2/h)

Control 4.8 0.09 6.46 46.7 242 1.697Oxygation 5.8 0.11 7.45 50.3 157 1.753

SE 1.6 0.04 1.42 2.05 ns 0.061

Table . Leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll content, soil fluorescien (surrogate of microbial load), and soil respiration with and without oxygation in grapevine plot at Emerald, CQ, Australia.

Figure : Effects of oxygation and depth (Deep = 15cm, Shallow = 2cm) of drip placement on dry weight of grape variety Flame at pattern of soil AACC, Emerald, CQ, Australia.

Treatment

2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 AverageMarket yield (t/ha)

Berry load

(kg/vine)

Market yield (t/ha)

Berry load

(kg/vine)

Market yield (t/ha)

Berry load

(kg/vine)

Market yield (t/ha)

Berry load

(kg/vine)

Control 5.72 4.57 10.83 8.65 6.71 5.36 7.60 6.19Oxygation

6.04 4.83 11.28 9.01 8.27 6.61 8.53 6.82

SE 1.29 1.03 2.15 1.72 1.26 1.01 1.57 1.25

Table. Marketable berry yield and load per plant for table grapes (Menindee) with and without oxygation ( Emerald, Central QLD).

Figure : Soil respiration immediately after irrigation in oxygation and control plot

16/0

8/10

16/1

1/10

16/0

2/11

16/0

5/11

16/0

8/11

16/1

1/11

16/0

2/12

16/0

5/12

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Oxygation Control

Cum

ulat

ive

irrig

atio

n (M

L/ha

)

Uniformity of bubble distributionCollaboration• ANSTO, Netafim Australia• CQU computational sciences.

Monitoring of bubbles in irrigation water Oxygation

Effect of surfactant

Cost:benefit analysis

Item Unit Price ($)Venturi injector* 1 265

PVC elbows 4 10PVC t-pieces 2 10

Valves 2 45Pressure gauges 2 30

TOTAL $475Cost of oxygation 1 ha (475 x 2.5) = $1187

Table: Details of cost to retro-fit air injection to 0.4 ha plots cotton SDI site

* Costs would be less if installed with new system

Yield (control)

Yield (Oxygation)

Yield difference (bale/ha)

Cotton price ($/bale)

Return to investment

8.756 7.628 1.128 500 $562.5

Return to investment , yrs (1187/562.5) 2.1yrs

Table: Details of returns per ha

Industry perspective

System compatibility with current operation(retrofitting)

Ease of operation (“passive”)

Need for extension/technical support

Industry / grower enthusiasm?

Increased opportunity for collaborations

Future activities on oxygation Long term effects on soil properties Nutrient dynamics & movement of pollutants Aerated water for furrow irrigation Extending adoption by industries (sugarcane, hort)

Diversification (GHG- NOx, smart lawn-urban water security)

Uniformity of air distribution in the field Optimization of drip/SDI

Acknowledgements

• NPSI, Guy Roth • HAL• DAFF Emerald• Netafim Australia

• Particular thanks to the Growers - Tony Ronnfeldt - Glen Pearmine - John Crainey

PARTNERSHIP and Collaboration Growth

Oxygation

Thank you