The Water Quality Improvement Plan, currently being developed by
the Burdekin CCI, aims to reduce pollutants from land based
activities entering the waterways and, ultimately, their discharge
into the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon. The Burdekin River delta and
floodplain (known as the Lower Burdekin) supports one of
Australia’s most intensively cultivated and productive
agricultural areas. Approximately 80,000 hectares of sugar cane
farming produce around 30% of Australia’s sugar.
The sugar cane industry makes extensive use of chemicals in the
form of fertilizers and pesticides. These help to enhance
production and ensure against crop damage. However, it is the
interaction of irrigation and agricultural chemicals in the form of
run-off that provides a potential pathway for pollutants to enter
the waterways and groundwater, raising concern about the impacts
these may have on the Great Barrier Reef.
The Burdekin CCI, in collaboration with ACTFR,
CSIRO, BSES, DPI&F, BBIFMAC, CANEGROWERS LTD and other
partners, is currently working with cane growers to find ways of
improving the quality of water leaving cane farms. A set of draft
best management practice guidelines have been developed and
presented to growers and other stakeholders for consultation.
Irrigation
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Furrow irrigation method. Photo: Tom
McShane.
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The Burdekin sugar crop is of very high quality and produces
above average yields at approximately 116 tonnes per hectare.These
high yields are, in part, due to the high rates of solar radiation,
however,the region receives relatively low rainfall (an average of
approximately 1,000 mm per year) and is highly dependent on
irrigation.
In contrast to other sugar cane growing areas, the vast majority
of irrigation is applied by the furrow irrigation method. Read about sugar
cane irrigation in the Lower Burdekin region.
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Overhead irrigation. Photo: Tom
McShane.
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Fertilisers
The most commonly used fertilisers in the sugar cane industry
are nitrogenous based. Sales figures suggest that the Burdekin
region applies the highest rates of nitrogen based fertilizers in
Queensland. Information on the
use of nitrogen based fertilisers in the Lower Burdekin.
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Application of fertiliser. Photo: Tom
McShane.
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