MADFIG is proud to be hosting a local trial with Murdoch Uni for the SW WA Drought Hub SMART SPRAYS project – an initiative focused on improving water harvesting and retention in broadacre cropping systems, particularly in regions where water use efficiency is low.
In WA, the average plant water use efficiency in broadacre farming is just 56%. This highlights a significant opportunity to boost productivity and profitability by developing solutions that better capture and retain water within the plant root zone. Optimising water use is increasingly important as the south-west of WA faces a drying climate and greater variability in rainfall.
SMART SPRAYS aims to tackle this challenge by boosting how effectively water is captured into crop furrows and retained in the soil. By reducing evaporation and increasing water availability where it’s needed most – around the plant roots – this technology has the potential to reduce plant stress during the growing season and significantly improve productivity across the region.
This project was highlighted at our MADFIG Annual Field Day (September 2025). Thank you to the Crook family for agreeing to participate in this trial.
[Media Release] SMART SPRAYS project teams up with UK scientists – March 2025
[Website] GGA Project: SMART SPRAYS: maximising the benefits from rainfall
[Podcast] Making every drop count: Innovations in water harvesting
[Poster] Why SMART SPRAYS?
[Fact Sheet] Clearing the confusion – plastics and bioplastics
[YouTube] Half the rain never reaches the seed, but can science fix that?
[Article] Precious drops: SMART SPRAYS lifeline for crop farmers facing declining rainfall
