Watering the farm: Comparing organic and conventional irrigation water use in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia

A field experiment was carried out during 2017-2019 in the Seemanchal area of Bihar, India to study the effect of conventional irrigation and conservation on growth, yield, nutrient uptake, fruit quality and irrigation water use efficiency of banana. The treatments consisted of two levels of irrigation (recommended irrigation and 75% of recommended irrigation) and three levels of fertilizer (50, 75 and 100% of recommended NPK fertilizers) including surface irrigation and conventional soil fertilization was laid out in a Split Plot Block Design. The results showed that improved growth, yield, fruit quality and irrigation water use efficiency were obtained under conservation compared to surface or conventional irrigation. The increasing levels of conservation practices consistently and significantly increased all these characteristics. However, conventional irrigation at 75% of recommended irrigation at 75% RDF produced maximum growth, yield and fruit quality attributes and higher irrigation water use efficiency.

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Understanding irrigation water use efficiency at different scales for better policy reform: a case study of the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia

Water Policy ◽

10.2166/wp.2010.063 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 1-17 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

M. Ejaz Qureshi ◽

R. Quentin Grafton ◽

Mac Kirby ◽

Munir A. Hanjra

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Environmental Flows ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Environmental Consequences ◽

Irrigation Water Use ◽

Murray Darling Basin ◽

Use Efficiency

This paper examines water use efficiency and economic efficiency with a particular focus on the Murray-Darling Basin of Australia and the stated policy goal of increasing environmental flows of water in the Basin. The different measures of efficiency are explained, and their implications for water reform and the efficacy of market based approaches to addressing the water scarcity issues and environmental flow needs are explored. Public policies to subsidize investments for improvements in irrigation efficiency are shown not to be currently cost effective compared to alternatives, such as buying water through water markets. The implications of these findings, and the factors that determine the demand for irrigation water by competing uses, can guide policy makers undertaking water reforms in the agricultural sector to mitigate the environmental consequences of overuse of water resources.

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