Recent trends in water-use optimization of surface irrigation systems in Australia

The surface system has seen improvements in the recent past ranging from infrastructural upgrades or automation to changes in the management practices and regulatory regimes. Data presented have demonstrated that these improvements have contributed to better water use efficiency of the surface system. Past designs of automatic and real-time control systems have been excessively complex and costly, and hence no significant adoption is evident. A new, simple automatic real-time control system for furrow irrigation is described in this chapter. Field trials have demonstrated potential for water savings, and further development and commercialization of the system is underway.