Are you new to irrigating in Tasmania or considering investment in irrigation? This module contains resources to build your fundamental knowledge and irrigation literacy.

The benefits from irrigation include:

• produce more pastures and crops
• improve the quality of pastures and crops by reducing water stress
• lengthen the growing season
• improve security against seasonal variability and drought
• turn off more animals per hectare
• maximise benefits of fertiliser applications
• take advantage of market incentives for out of season production
• reduce reliance on supplementary feeding in grazing operations
• improve the capital value of your property

Improving your knowledge about irrigation, and where to find more information will set you off on the right footing.

Irrigation insights participant manuals

These manuals introduce the fundamentals of irrigation. They were developed to support a one-day course designed for farmers and their staff to build confidence in operating and managing irrigation systems effectively.

The basic manual is relevant to cropping, dairy, livestock and horticulture. The berry manual covers the material from the basic manual but has extra information on irrigation of berries in substrate, particularly strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.

The manuals cover the history of irrigation globally, in Australia, and in Tasmania, providing context for current practices. They explain the main types of irrigation systems used in cropping, dairy, livestock production and horticulture and detail the key components of these systems. There are sections on maintenance procedures, troubleshooting common issues, and work health and safety.

Further sections explore the principles of soil–plant–water relationships, highlighting how biology and soil science interact in irrigation management. For the berry manual, there is mention of the special situation of growing in substrate like coir or rockwool.  Readers will be equipped to assess soil or substrate characteristics and water requirements to improve irrigation scheduling and performance.

From the manuals, irrigators will gain a solid framework for understanding irrigation systems as a basis to develop practical skills to enhance efficiency, sustainability, and productivity in water use.