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Story: Irrigation and drainage

Irrigated and non-irrigated pasture

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Irrigated and non-irrigated pasture

The aim of irrigation is to supply enough water for pasture growth at times of the year when rainfall is either unreliable or inadequate. This graph, created from long term measurements made at Winchmore Irrigation Research Station, shows that the benefits of irrigation were greatest from late spring to late autumn, and totalled more than 5,000 kilograms of pasture dry matter per hectare over a year.

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How to cite this page

Terry Heiler, Irrigation and drainage – Irrigation after 2000, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/graph/19607/irrigated-and-non-irrigated-pasture (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Terry Heiler, published 1 March 2009.