Managing to enhance crop water use efficiency

Summary

Implementing soil and land management practices which enhance crop water use efficiency (WUE) is important for increasing the economic profitability of farming systems and improving the sustainability of food systems, particularly as future rainfall patterns are expected to be less predictable and more erratic under climate change scenarios (e.g. higher intensity, reduced frequency and potential seasonal shifts).

This page will help you understand:

• which soil attributes influence crop water use efficiency
• key management principles and practices for enhancing crop water use efficiency
• future management challenges.

Soil management for improved crop WUE

Some of the key soil attributes that affect WUE are those that limit plant growth and function, including:

• soil fertility (i.e. nutrient availability for plant productivity)
• soil acidity or alkalinity (which limits nutrient availability and affects root health)
• physical condition (e.g. soil compaction limiting root growth)
• water repellence (reduced water infiltration for plant use).

Soil management or soil modification practices that improve the productive capacity of soil have the potential to increase plant WUE include:

• incorporation of clay into water repellent or sandy textured topsoils
• managing to enhance soil carbon
• incorporation of nutrients and/or organic matter into topsoil or sub-surface layers
• amelioration of soil physical limitations (e.g. application of gypsum, deep ripping)
• treatment of acid soils with liming products.

WUE of crops and pastures is also dependent on agronomic management including:

• weed control - reducing water and soil nutrient competition for crops
• moisture conservation - using plant cover, standing stubble, mulching etc.
• nutrition - application of fertilisers to enhance crop productivity
• timing of crop sowing - e.g. sowing after rains to encourage deep root establishment which is more efficient than shallow root systems
• control of pests and diseases - reduce the strain on crop growth and productivity.

Future challenges

There has been a significant improvement in WUE in most SA cropping districts, since the 1960s. The challenge going forward will be to maintain this increase in the face of a changing climate, increasing costs and increased resistance of pests, diseases and weeds to pesticides. Plant breeding has continued to achieve improvements in yield with newer varieties able to achieve more grain per millimetre of water than previous varieties. With new breeding technology this level of improvement will help to increase WUE.

Find out more:

• Water use efficiency of grain crops in Australia:  principles, benchmarks and management (report) - GRDC
• Water use efficiency of wheat in a Mediterranean-type environment. II. some limitations to efficiency (journal article) - French and Schultz (1984)

Page Updated: April 2026