— 8 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 201 — Autumn 2019 — 8 IREC Farmers’ Newsletter No. 201 — Autumn 2019 IREC report Recent success in attracting project funding means that over the next two years IREC will be involved in a number of projects ranging from exploring the use of technology for better water, soil and crop management, to preventing spray drift and to improving knowledge and skills for growing pulse crops. SUCCESS in putting the case for funding of irrigated cropping systems research to key R&D organisations and government departments builds on the solid base of work and research that has been taking place at the IREC Field Station at Whitton. This work was showcased at the annual IREC Field Day on 22 January, and demonstrated the r ange of funded research taking place in the region. A condensed rundown of some of the research follows. Field day features Nutrients for cotton crops The Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) has funded Dr Wendy Quayle from Deakin University, with a project asking “Can chicken litter be used as a reliable supply of supplemental in-crop nitrogen and phosphorus whilst simultaneously improving long-term soil health?” Wendy has found that 4.0 t/ha of chicken litter gives approximately 50 kg N and 15–20 kg P in the year of application. Wendy will give a more detailed report on project findings in the next edition of the Farmers’ Newsletter. Drs Ben Macdonald and Dio Antille from CSIRO are researching dissolved organic nitrogen in high yielding cropping systems. They aim to quantify the uptake of dissolved organic nitrogen in different cotton varieties, determine if the dissolved organic nitrogen pool influences fertiliser nitrogen use efficiency, determine the impact of soil type on uptake, and understand the importance of the dissolved organic nitrogen pool relative to nitrate and ammonium for cotton nutrition. Through this research they hope to improve nitrogen management for cotton by determining the preferred form of nitrogen (nitrate, ammonium or dissolved organic nitrogen), to increase productivity and reduce environment impacts. Weed management strategies Eric Koetz, Research Agronomist with NSW DPI, has a demonstration site examining residual herbicides at the field station. The site was included in an evaluation of pre- and post-emergent chemistry, residual and layby herbicide applications, and integrating chemical and non-chemical tactics. There is also a demonstration trial with test strips, evaluating application timings and strategies for layby and residual herbicides. Irrigation automation One of the highlights of the field day for many was the chance to learn about the fully automated pump site. The variable speed drive 16-inch pump has the full range of automated functions. The fully-automated system can be remotely started and stopped, it can also be set to start on a specific water level. Not only does it allow us to observe how much water is in the drain, measure runoff off from different layouts but it also ties in very well with existing automation systems. The automation was generously funded by CRDC with contributions from Murrumbidgee Irrigation and Bidgee Automation. A demonstration at the IREC Field Station is examining a range of herbicide strategies for weed control, and the potential to integrate non-chemical tactics.