Deciding on whether to irrigate in northern Australia, and if so what irrigation should look like, where it should be located, and how it should be managed, requires improved understanding of river and catchment attributes and the risks associated with irrigation. Various studies are underway to improve that understanding and ensure decisions are made with the best information available about the long term implications for tropical catchments. The Northern Australia Irrigation Futures (NAIF) project is funded by the Commonwealth Government and the Governments of Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory with the aim of providing new knowledge, tools and processes to support debate and decision making regarding irrigation in northern Australia.

The Goulburn Broken Catchment is known as the food bowl of Australia. It covers 2.4 million hectares and has a population of around 200,000 people (Department of Sustainability and Environment 2005). Irrigated agriculture is a major business engine in the Goulburn Broken Region, producing more than $1.2 billion at the farm gate in 2001-2002 from about 280,000 hectares of irrigated agricultural land. Investment in on-farm and processing infrastructure is about A$100 million per annum (Michael Young and

As a result of improved irrigation management and systems, growers in the Lower Murray (Riverland-Sunraysia) horticultural region have improved their water use efficiency (WUE) over the past two decades from about 50% to about 80%. However a negative consequence of this achievement is the emerging risk of salinity build-up in the root zone, threatening the sustainability of the region (Biswas et al. 2005a; Biswas et al. 2005b). The amount of irrigation applied must account for

* Focus on WA * NPIRD news * A new way to save water and nutrients * National Irrigation Science Network up and running

Polyacrylamide (PAM) has been sold in the United States since 1995 for reducing irrigation-induced erosion and enhancing infiltration. PAM's soil stabilizing and flocculating properties have also substantially improved runoff water quality by reducing sediments, N, ortho and total P, COD, pesticides, weed seeds, and microorganisms in runoff. The first series of practical field tests of

Open Hydroponics is an irrigation and nutrition management program aimed at increasing yield and fruit quality of horticulture crops. The fundamental principle of Open Hydroponics is that nutrients are applied continuously by drip irrigation that is operated at very high frequency. Design, installation, operation, monitoring and control are all critical components of Open Hydroponics. Professor Rafael Martinez (University Miguel Hernández, Spain) was the first to introduce the concepts of Open Hydroponics into Australia. There are now a number of commercial consultants offering advice and services for Open Hydroponics.

This bulletin describes the results of a modelling study of evaporation from farm dams and a ready reckoner' in the form of a spreadsheet that: * Calculates the cost of installing an evaporation reduction system * Calculates how much water is saved from evaporating.

This scoping project investigated the following two questions: 1. What is the best way to present material on the common hydro-geological systems where irrigation areas are situated and 2. Which hydro-geological systems should be representedΓ

A desktop water, nutrient and salt balance study identified that irrigation and nutrition management principles used by OH can be efficient. The level of efficiency was directly linked to the implementation of good management. Poor management significantly reduces efficiency and increases the risk of adverse environmental impacts. Management skill and associated training is a key factor to the success of OH.

The National Program for Sustainable Irrigation was a unique collaboration as it involved governments, irrigators, water providers and researchers from across Australia. It covered every aspect of irrigation from dam management and water delivery, through on-farm management, to sustainable landscape environmental measures