Project overview
Farming operations across Western Australia’s South-West region are continually integrating approaches across their operation to build resilience within their farming system to unseasonal conditions and reduced rainfall. Enhancing natural capital assets on their property through revegetation is one solution that can be embedded for a range of purposes, from revenue diversification, through to limiting dry-land salinity encroachment from marginal land, into productive cropping areas.
Unfortunately, however, uptake of revegetation efforts across the region are often constrained by a lack of available custom seeding machinery to sow native mixes, and high personal input costs. Broadacre farmers, however, have seeding machinery they use annually to sow crops such as canola, barley and wheat, that often sit idle from June after the seeding season has ceased.
In light of this, this project aims to understand whether broadacre seeding machinery used across the Wheatbelt could be used as an alternative direct-seeding method for native seed mixes, if native mixes were pelleted to the size of these commonly sown crops.
Expected outcomes
In collaboration with research and on-ground delivery partners, this project will:
- Uncover the key considerations, both mechanical and on-ground, that influence seeding outcomes.
- Deliver operational resources that provide step-by-step guidance to landholders on how to use their equipment to sow native mixes.
- Offer opportunities for landholders to see demonstration sites and on-ground trials where this method has been applied.
Photos provided by Oscar Jones, Curtin University
This project is supported by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub, through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, the Australian Research Council Training Centre for Healing Country, and the Lotterywest-funded Native Seed Technology and Innovation Hub for Western Australia, with additional funding from project partners.
FAQs
Why SMART SPRAYS?
Smart sprays have the potential to reduce evaporation and redirect water for increased crop yield and profit.
Smart sprays components:
- Biodegrade in marine, soil, and compost environments into CO₂, water, and biomass.
- Do not degrade into microplastics in the environment.
- Reduce reliance on fossil fuels and have a decreased carbon footprint as no fossil fuel feedstock is used.
- Do not need to be retrieved from the field – they will biodegrade in situ.
The main component of SMART SPRAYS can be produced by microorganisms through the use of a wide variety of renewable feedstocks, like organic wastes, waste canola oil, brewers waste and glycerol, creating a circular economy.
What’s the different between plastics and bioplastics?
Plastics and bioplastics can be categorised based on their origin/feedstock (biobased vs. fossil fuel based) and their degradation properties (biodegradable vs. non-biodegradable).
Feedstocks
Fossil-based feedstocks: Derived from petroleum, natural gas, or coal.
Biobased feedstocks: Derived from plants, algae, or agricultural waste products.
Differences in degradation
Download the fact sheet to learn more about plastics and bioplastics.
What’s the different between compostable and biodegradable?
Biodegradable materials are those that can be fully broken down into natural substances, such as water and carbon dioxide, by naturally occurring microorganisms. In waste management, the term “biodegradable” is broadly used to describe materials that degrade either under composting conditions or in the natural environment. The key distinction is that compostable materials are designed to break down within a specific timeframe under controlled composting conditions, where factors like temperature, moisture, and microbial activity are optimised to accelerate decomposition and biomass formation.
Certified compostable
Compostable refers to a product’s ability to biodegrade into non-toxic, natural elements within a defined timeframe under specific composting conditions. Both fossil-based and bio-based bioplastics can be certified as compostable. However, compostability claims should only be made if the product has been certified to a recognised standard, such as Australian Standards AS 4736-2006 or AS 5810-2010.
Biobased bioplastic biodegradable
Smart sprays belong to this category.
Bioplastics made from bio-based feedstocks that fully break down into natural substances, either under composting conditions or in the natural environment. PHA bioplastics, in particular, are known to degrade effectively in both soil and marine environments.
Fossil-based bioplastic biodegradable
Fossil-based biodegradable plastics make up a relatively small category, which includes materials like PBAT and PCL. While PBAT is both biodegradable and compostable, improper disposal can still have environmental consequences, as its degradation requires specific conditions to occur efficiently.
Biobased bioplastic non-biodegradable
Bioplastics can be derived from bio-based feedstocks while remaining non-biodegradable. These materials are chemically identical to traditional fossil-based plastics.
Conventional plastics non-biodegradable
These materials do not biodegrade. In Australia, 2.9 million tonnes of plastic waste are discarded each year, with only 13% recycled, while the remaining 87% ends up in landfill.
Reference: State of Bioplastics in Australia, CSIRO, 2024 with permission.
Download the fact sheet to learn more about plastics and bioplastics.
News
- Article, Regional Nodes
The Hub recently invited representatives from its eight Regional Nodes for a celebratory meeting and networking dinner, marking five years of collaboration to strengthen drought and climate
- Article, Field Notes
- Article, Field Notes
- Article, Case Study, Regional Soil Coordinator
- Article, Regional Soil Coordinator
- Article, PropaGATE
The PropaGATE project team and its partners presented on an innovative wastewater treatment trial at the WA Beer and Brewing Conference on 3 July, highlighting
Resources
- Webinar
- Podcast
- Webinar
External resources
Collaborators
Project team
Oscar Jones
Curtin University
Dr Simone Pedrini
Curtin University
Dr Shane Turner
Curtin University
Dr Michael Just
Curtin University
Professor Stephen van Leeuwen
Curtin University
Dr Simone Pedrini
Curtin University
Dr Shane Turner
Curtin University
Dr Michael Just
Curtin University
Contact
Oscar Jones
PhD candidate, ARC Training Centre for Healing Country, Curtin University
Oscar.jones@postgrad.curtin.edu.au
0427 210 102
Mary-Anne Glanzlowe
Extension Specialist and Knowledge Broker, South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub
mary-anne.glanzlowe@gga.org.au
0400 191 378