Growing banana prawns in prawn farm settlement ponds to utilise and help remove waste nutrients.

To assess their utility for profitable wastewater bioremediation, banana prawns, Penaeus (Fenneropenaeus) merguiensis (de Man), were stocked at low densities (1 – 5 m-2) and grown without supplemental feeding in five commercial-prawn-farm settlement ponds (0.3 to 6.0 ha). The prawns free-ranged in the variously designed ponds for 160 to 212 days after stocking as PL15. Survival estimates ranged from 12% to 60% with production of 50 – 528 kg ha-1. Over 1150 kg of marketable product was produced in the study. Exceptional growth was monitored at one farm where prawns reached an average size of 17g in 80 days. Nutrients in water flowing into (8 - 40 ML d-1) and out of the settlement pond at that farm were assessed twice weekly along with routine water quality measurements. Only small differences in water qualities were detected between waters running into and out of this settlement pond. Total nitrogen levels gradually increased from 1 - 1.5 mg L-1 early in the season to over 3 mg L-1 towards the end of the season. Total phosphorus levels similarly rose from 0.1 - 0.2 mg L-1 to 0.3 - 0.4 mg L-1 in the middle of the season, but fell to 0.2 – 0.3 mg L-1 towards the end when approximately 12,000 prawns were harvested with a total weight of 175 kg. No significant differences (P > 0.05) were detected in the overall acceptability of prawns harvested from each of the 5 settlement ponds in small-scale consumer sensory analyses. The prawns from settlement ponds were rated similarly to banana prawns grown with commercial diets at two other establishments. Microbiological analyses of prawns from all farms showed bacterial levels to be well within food-grade standards and lower than prawns produced in a normal growout pond. These results demonstrate that high quality food grade banana prawns can be produced in these wastewater treatment systems.

Bivalves for the remediation of prawn farm effluent: identification of some potentially useful species in Southern Queensland

Several species of oysters, clams and mussels are currently being used around the world to create extra profits and help remediate waste-waters from mariculture operations. To identify opportunities and potentially suitable species of bivalves for remediation of prawn farm effluent in Australia, recent literature dealing with bivalve filtration is reviewed, and species occurring naturally in a banana prawn, Penaeus (Fenneropenaeus) merguiensis, grow-out pond and effluent streams at the Bribie Island Aquaculture Research Centre (BIARC) were collected, identified and assessed in terms of their tolerance of high silt loadings over 3 months. Three bivalve species predominated in the BIARC case study. These were the mud ark, Anadara trapezia, the rock oyster, Dendostrea folium, and the pearl shell, Pinctada maculata. The mud ark demonstrated the highest tolerance of silt loading (99% survival), followed by pearl shells and rock oysters (88 and 63% survival respectively).

Testing the effectiveness of the SKIM foam fractionator to reduce nutrient levels in prawn farm effluent

To experimentally investigate the effect of the “SKIM” mechanical foam fractionator on suspended material and the nutrient levels in prawn farm effluent, a series of standardised short-term treatments were applied to various effluent types in a static 10,000-litre water body. Prawn pond effluents were characterised by watercolour and dominance of phytoplankton species. Three effluent types were tested, namely 1) particulate-rich effluent with little apparent phytoplankton, 2) green mircoalgal bloom predominately made up of single celled phytoplankton, and 3) brown microalgal bloom with higher prevalence of diatoms. The effluent types were similar (P>0.05) in non-volatile particulate material, and nitrate/nitrite but varied from each other in the following ways: 1) The particulate-rich effluents were lower (P<0.05) in volatile solids (compared to brown blooms), total Kjeldahl nitrogen, dissolved organic nitrogen, dissolved organic phosphorus and chlorophyll a (compared to both green and brown blooms). 2) The brown blooms were higher (P<0.05) in ammonia (compared to green blooms), total nitrogen and total phosphorus (compared to both green and particulate-rich effluent), but were lower (P<0.05) in inorganic phosphorus (compared to both green and particulate-rich effluent). 3) The green blooms were higher (P<0.05) in dissolved (both organic and inorganic) phosphorus (compared to both brown and particulate-rich effluents). Although the effluent types varied significantly in these aspects the effect of the Skim treatment was similar for all parameters measured except total phosphorus. Bloom type and Skim-treatment period significantly (P<0.05) affected total Kjeldahl phosphorus concentrations. For all effluent types there was a continuous significant reduction (P<0.05) in total Kjeldahl phosphorus during the initial 6-hour treatment period. Levels of total suspended solids and volatile suspended solids in all effluent types were significantly (P<0.05) reduced in the first 2 hours but not thereafter. Non-volatile suspended solids were also significantly (P<0.05) reduced in the first 2 hours (30 to 40 % reduction) and a further 40% reduction occurred in the particulate-rich effluent over the next 2 hours. Mean values for total ammonia, dissolved organic nitrogen, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, total nitrogen, chlorophyll a and dissolved organic or inorganic phosphorus levels were not significantly (P>0.05) affected by the Skim unit in any bloom type during the initial 6 hours of testing. Nevertheless, non-significant nitrogen reductions did occur. Foam production by the Skim unit varied with different blooms, resulting in different concentrate volumes and different end points for separate experiments. Concentrate volumes were generally high for the particulate-rich and green blooms (175 – 370 litres) and low for the brown blooms (25 – 80 litres). This was due to the low tendency of the brown bloom to produce foam. This generated higher nutrient concentrations in the associated condensed foam, but may have limited the treatment efficiency. The results suggest that in this application, the Skim unit did not remove micro-algae as effectively as was anticipated. However, it was effective at removing other suspended solids. Considering these attributes and the other uses of this machinery documented by the manufactures, the unit’s oxygenation mixing capacities coupled with inorganic solids removal may provide a suitable mechanism for construction of a continuously mixed bioreactor that utilises the filtration and profit making abilities of bivalves.

Ruth Weiss nee Stern with Annette, Meir, and David Weiss at Mortimer Hill Farm; Mortimer, England.

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Ruth Weiss nee Stern with Annette, Meir, and David Weiss at Mortimer Hill Farm; Mortimer, England..

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Options for biogas cleaning and use on-farm

This project follows on from and utilises a floating cover currently being installed on the primary effluent pond at a southern piggery.

Marine Polychaete Sand Filters - prawn farm wastewater remediation trial

The purpose of the trial is to assess the growth and production level of cultured Polychaetes, and wastewater remediation properties of Polychaete beds at a commercial prawn farm.

BCC Benefits Composted Organics Farm Systems

BCC Benefits Composted Organics Farm Systems.

GRDC Improving crop and farm water use efficiency in Australia

Project Objectives: 1. Improving yield and water use efficiency of the wheat crop, the backbone of the Australia grains industry, by better matching management, variety, soil and climate. The aim is thus increasing kg grain/ha per mm evapotranspiration and kg grain/ha per mm rain. 2. Improving land and water productivity and profit by better arrangement of the components of the cropping system. This involves better allocation of farm resources (land, water, machinery, labour) and identifying strategies that account for trade-offs between profit and risk. The aim is thus improving $/ha per year and mm rain in a risk framework.

Technical Advice Tully Cane Demo Farm Sites

Provision of technical advice for Tully cane demo farm sites as part of the Paddock-scale monitoring in the Wet Tropics Natural Resource Management region.

Improving on-farm cotton root growth and functioning under limited water

The objectives of this project over a 3 years study period are: 1) validation and on-farm adoption of improved root growth and functioning for managing cotton production under limited water and nitrogen nutrition; and 2) Delivering improved understanding of enhancing root growth and functioning to about 50% cotton growers in the regions leading towards a better adaptation to future climate driven challenges, particularly limited water availability in Queensland and New South Wales. The research is expected to be supported through cash and/or in-kind contributions by CRDC and Agri-Science Queensland (DEEDI).

Farm Program Management - Phase II

Jointly manage The Farm Program within the Cotton Catchment Communities CRC.

PA0187 Enhanced On-farm Monitoring and Mitigation of Pesticide and Nutrient Transport

Enhanced On-farm Monitoring and Mitigation of Pesticide and Nutrient Transport.

The intrinsic plasticity of farm businesses and their resilience to change. An Australian example.

This paper examines the idea that plasticity in farm management introduces resilience to change and allows farm businesses to perform when operating in highly variable environments. We also argue for the need to develop and apply more integrative assessments of farm performance that combine the use of modelling tools with deliberative processes involving farmers and researchers in a co-learning process, to more effectively identify and implement more productive and resilient farm businesses. In a plastic farming system, farm management is highly contingent on environmental conditions. In plastic farming systems farm managers constantly vary crops and inputs based on the availability of limited and variable resources (e.g. land, water, finances, labour, machinery, etc.), and signals from its operating environment (e.g. climate, markets), with the objective of maximising a number of, often competing, objectives (e.g. maximise profits, minimise risks, etc.). In contrast in more rigid farming systems farm management is more calendar driven and relatively fixed sequences of crops are regularly followed over time and across the farm. Here we describe the application of a whole farm simulation model to (i) compare, in silico, the sensitivity of two farming systems designs of contrasting levels of plasticity, operating in two contrasting environments, when exposed to a stressor in the form of climate change scenarios;(ii) investigate the presence of interactions and feedbacks at the field and farm levels capable of modifying the intensity and direction of the responses to climate signals; and (iii) discuss the need for the development and application of more integrative assessments in the analysis of impacts and adaptation options to climate change. In both environments, the more plastic farm management strategy had higher median profits and was less risky for the baseline and less intensive climate change scenarios (2030). However, for the more severe climate change scenarios (2070), the benefit of plastic strategies tended to disappear. These results suggest that, to a point, farming systems having higher levels of plasticity would enable farmers to more effectively respond to climate shifts, thus ensuring the economic viability of the farm business. Though, as the intensity of the stress increases (e.g. 2070 climate change scenario) more significant changes in the farming system might be required to adapt. We also found that in the case studies analysed here, most of the impacts from the climate change scenarios on farm profit and economic risk originated from important reductions in cropping intensity and changes in crop mix rather than from changes in the yields of individual crops. Changes in cropping intensity and crop mix were explained by the combination of reductions in the number of sowing opportunities around critical times in the cropping calendar, and to operational constraints at the whole farm level i.e. limited work capacity in an environment having fewer and more concentrated sowing opportunities. This indicates that indirect impacts from shifts in climate on farm operations can be more important than direct impacts from climate on the yield of individual crops. The results suggest that due to the complexity of farm businesses, impact assessments and opportunities for adaptation to climate change might also need to be pursued at higher integration levels than the crop or the field. We conclude that plasticity can be a desirable characteristic in farming systems operating in highly variable environments, and that integrated whole farm systems analyses of impacts and adaptation to climate change are required to identify important interactions between farm management decision rules, availability of resources, and farmer's preference.

Ruth Weiss nee Stern with Annette, Meir, and David Weiss at Mortimer Hill Farm; Mortimer, England.

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