AHRI Snapshots
AHRI Snapshots is a podcast that provides information on what we do at the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, as well as finding out what other researchers in weed science are up to around the country and the world. AHRI's researchers work out of the University of Western Australia, right next to the beautiful Swan River in WA's capital, Perth.
AHRI Snapshots
Testing water quality for effective spray application
In this interview we chat with AHRI Research Officer Roberto Lujan Rocha about the survey work he has conducted on the quality of water sourced on farm for spray application.
This project is a collaboration between University of Western Australia, AHRI and the Centre for Water & Spatial Science.
The team looked at water from bores, dams, desalinated water, rainwater tanks and scheme water.
Roberto surveyed water sources in the mid to south West Australian wheatbelt in September 2022 and has recently completed surveys of water sources in the Merredin area of Western Australia.
So why is this survey work important? Well, when it comes to optimising spray efficacy, water quality is an integral component.
Roberto’s initial survey showed that some water sources might fall outside the ideal ranges to ensure good spray application.
He explains the survey results in detail in this chat.
Links
- Project factsheet
- GRDC spray water quality factsheet
- WeedSmart 'Optimise Spray Efficacy' Big 6 principle
You can follow AHRI on Twitter here. To learn more about AHRI's research and team, check out the website here.