Investment

Plant available water (PAW) is a key determinant of potential yield in dryland agriculture. Obtaining a measurement or estimate of PAW can, therefore, inform crop management decisions relating to time of sowing, crop type or the level of fertiliser inputs. While most grain growing areas now have multiple plant available water capacity (PAWC) characterisations, extrapolating the information to individual paddocks remains a challenge. This project will explore for the GRDC Northern Region, how to use available PAWC data and soil information to predict PAWC for different crops and locations without a PAWC characterisation. It will also evaluate different approaches for prediction of PAWC.