Crop and climate suitability for the Midlands area of Western Australia

Publication Date

5-2018

Series Number

405

Abstract

The Midlands groundwater and land assessment is a $4.7 million Water for Food project. It aims to confirm groundwater availability at one or more focus areas that may form precincts of 2000–3000 hectares suitable for intensive irrigated horticulture. This report forms part of this project.

Firstly, this report describes the climate of the Midlands study area and highlights the subtle differences between the two selected focus areas, Irwin and Dinner Hill. It discusses the importance of climate in determining crop suitability. We also investigated the following factors that determine crop suitability: water quality, water quantity, land capability (soils), and environmental impact. Secondly, the report examines potential commercial horticultural crops for the Midlands area.

We found that the combination of climate and the range of soils in the study area would suit a wide range of horticultural crops. The main limiting factor for extensive horticultural development in the study area is the availability of water that is suitable for irrigation. High temperatures, wind and water quality are also important management considerations.

Number of Pages

55

Keywords

Midlands, climate, crop suitability, irrigated horticulture, soils, Western Australia

Disciplines

Agriculture

Comments

This report is superseded by a 2nd edition, Resource management technical report 415.

Maps

Maps are not included as part of the complete document download. If this report contains a map, it will be available in the individual parts list below.

Previous Versions

Nov 9 2018 (withdrawn)

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