Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
School of Agricultural and Food Sciences
Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
A patented, cheap and simple irrigation scheduling aid, the FullStop Wetting Front Detector, is now manufactured commercially by a South African company thanks to a WRC funded project in the Department of Plant Production and Soil Science carried out at CSIRO (Australia) by Dr Richard Stirzaker, an extraordinary professor at the Department together with Prof John Annandale. The working of the device is easily understood even by illiterate users and promises to make good irrigation management accessible to this neglected part of the agricultural community. Even sophisticated farmers are impressed by the simplicity of the device and are starting to use them on a large scale. The research team received the WATSAVE Technology Award of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) for this development in France in September.
However, it is known that irrigation scheduling is a low priority with most irrigation farmers, even though saving of water on a national scale is a priority. Adoption of new technology like the wetting front detector is a dynamic process that is determined by various factors, including perceptions of farmers of the relative advantages in using this kind of technology. In a project founded on the model of a 'learning based approach', wetting front detectors were installed on many farms across South Africa, covering commercial and small-scale farmers. The experiences of the farmers form the basis of the evaluation of the technology. A research trial at the University's experimental farm, where various ways of using the detector were compared with standard irrigation practices, formed the basis of the accuracy test. The third aspect of the project was intensive monitoring of the wetting front detectors on the properties of some leading farmers. The fact that extension, research and commercialization proceeded concurrently helped to focus the project immensely.
Danksy ‘n WNK-befondsde projek wat by CSIRO (Australië) deur dr Richard Stirzaker, buitengewone professor van die Departement Plantproduksie en Grondkunde in samewerking met prof John Annandale uitgevoer is, word die gepatenteerde FullStop benattingsfrontverklikker, ‘n goedkoop en eenvoudige besproeiingskedulering hulpmiddel, nou plaaslik vervaardig. Die werking van die apparaat is maklik verstaanbaar deur selfs ongeletterde gebruikers en beloof om goeie besproeiingsbestuur wat voorheen by dié boere afgeskeep is, toeganklik te maak. Selfs meer gesofistikeerde boere is beïndruk met die eenvoud van die apparaat en begin om dit op ‘n groot skaal te gebruik. Die navorsingspan het die WATSAVE tegnologie-toekenning van die ICID ontvang vir die ontwikkeling van hierdie toestel.
Dit is egter bekend dat besproeiingskedulering oor die algemeen 'n lae prioriteit is by besproeiingsboere, nieteenstaande die feit dat waterbesparing 'n prioriteit op nasionale vlak is. Aanvaarding van nuwe tegnologie soos die benattingsfront verklikker is 'n dinamiese proses wat deur verskillende faktore, insluitend die persepsies van boere aangaande die moontlike relatiewe voordele in die gebruik van die tegnologie, bepaal word. In 'n projek wat die 'leer uitkoms benadering' gevolg het, is benattingsfront verklikkers op verskeie plase van kommersiële- en kleinskaal boere dwarsdeur Suid-Afrika geïnstalleer. Evaluasie van die tegnologie is gebaseer op die bevindinge van die boere. Akkuraatheidstoetsing is op die Universiteit se proefplaas gedoen met standaard besproeiingskeduleringmetodes wat algemeen gebruik word. Die derde aspek van die projek het die intensiewe monitering van die benattingsfront verklikkers op plase van vooraanstaande boere behels. Die feit dat voorligting, navorsing en kommersialisering byna gelyktydig plaasgevind het, het daartoe bygedra dat die projek uitstekend gefokus was.
Contact person: Mr JB Stevens.
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