Irrigated vineyards in Australia have seen extensive adoption of drip irrigation. At the start of this project there was concern about the sustainability of drip irrigation based on previous field observations.

Good soil structure is essential for healthy, resilient plants because it allows them to develop extensive, active root systems.

This project aims to assess soil structural decline under precision irrigation and to suggest management strategies to avoid it.

Throughout this article I will be encouraging less tillage. There are three reasons for this. Firstly, tillage is costly. Secondly, soil structure often is sufficiently good for farming without tillage.