SMART SPRAYS: maximising the benefits from rainfall

Project lead: Murdoch University

Project overview

In broadacre crop production in Western Australia, the average plant water use efficiency stands at just 56%. This suggests significant potential for further economic benefits if innovative solutions can be developed to capture water within the plant root zone. Optimising water use is crucial for the region as climate predictions indicate that the south-west of Western Australia will continue to experience a drying climate and increased variability in rainfall patterns.

SMART SPRAYS will transform broadacre crop production by improving water harvesting (into furrows) and water retention (less evaporation) in regions where water efficiency is low. In doing so, the SMART SPRAYS technology will decrease the risk of plant water stress during the growing season and increase plant water use efficiency.

Expected outcomes

The project aims to illustrate the capacity for the SMART SPRAYS technology to increase rainfall capture into the soil and through to the plant.

Activity 1. This project will demonstrate and test (from laboratory to field) a non-toxic, bioplastic-based spray that forms a water barrier that can be easily applied with existing farm equipment. This technology will be assessed for its capacity to harvest rainfall from the mound into the furrow and decrease water evaporation from within the soil.

Activity 2. This project will assess the ease of use of the SMART SPRAYS technology, particularly its ability to be deployed with existing farm infrastructure with minimal modification.

Activity 3. This project will assess the capacity of SMART SPRAYS to increase crop productivity. This is of critical importance to the region as climate predictions indicate that the south-west of Western Australia will continue to experience a drying climate.

This project seeks to answer the following questions:

• How can more rainfall be converted into a saleable product (food, feed, fibre, fuel)?
• How can Australia combat a declining rainfall through greater retention and use of available water?

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, Murdoch University and the WA Agricultural Research Collaboration