A new research project between China and New Zealand is to focus on how to improve the efficiency of water use in the dairy sector.
Photo: 123rf
The collaborative project involves AgResearch and the Chinese Academy of Sciences and is aimed at helping a range of factors from watering feed crops to washing out cow sheds.
Principal scientist at AgResearch's Ruakura base Stewart Ledgard said both countries had a lot to learn from each other.
"In terms of us learning from the Chinese is the fact that they're relying on crops in relatively dry areas, so they've had a lot of work going on in how to most efficiently produce crops and most efficient use of water and also reducing the effects of that production system on water quality...there's been relatively little work done on that in New Zealand.
"They will be able to learn from us more about the whole system of evaluation, when you look at integrating that crop into a housed or adding it to a pasture based system, what the implications are from that in terms of the whole system effects on water quality in particular but also water use."