Reducing pumping costs by $10 an hour with a dieselgas mix has put money in the pocket and a smile on the face of irrigated cotton farmer Warwick Wannan.

The Australian cotton industry has used values of Gross Production Water Use Index (GPWUIfarm) to benchmark water use efficiency since 1988/89.

This project will improve industry capacity to adopt best management practice and improve water use and energy efficiency, through the provision of training, technical support and extension material.

Irrigators want to improve water use efficiency (WUE) in terms of bales per megalitre with the intention of maximising their profitability or $/ML.

The survey data showed a wide range of irrigation performance and water volume estimation and measurement across the industry. It found the average GPWUIfarm for the cotton industry was 1.14 bales per megalitre.