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Irrigation system – Irrigation system installation – greenglobals

Irrigation system

In this process, water is artificially supplied to the soil with the help of a network of tubes, pumps, and sprays. Mostly, Irrigation system occurs when natural sources of water and rainfall cannot satisfy the plants’ demand for water and in areas where rainfall cannot be uniform or is dry for some time or drought periods are expected. There are many types of irrigation system.

Irrigation system

For instance, in some, water is uniformly supplied to the entire field. To others, it is applied specifically to the designated root zone through drippers. Sprinkler blowout, Sprinklers, Lawn sprinkler, Drip irrigation, Sprinkler. Improvements in irrigation and drainage need not be mutually exclusive. Often, both are required to ensure sustained high-level crop production.

Water source and management

Irrigation water may come from groundwater, springs, wells, surface water, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, or other sources, including treated wastewater or desalinated water. Sprinkler system, Rachio sprinkler, Sprinkler heads, Garden sprinkler, Water sprinkler.

Irrigation system

Because farmers must safeguard their source of supply and keep potential rates of overuse and contamination as low as possible, irrigation water users cannot pump groundwater out of an aquifer much faster than it is naturally recharged. Orbit sprinkler, Sprinkler hose, Irrigation sprinkler, Smart sprinkler.

History of Irrigation

Early societies constructed canals, ditches, and reservoirs to transfer water from rivers and streams onto fields. The flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates was received to depend on in Ancient Mesopotamia in 6000 BC to be used to irrigate fields. In Ancient Egypt, the basin irrigation system was developed to utilize water from the yearly flood of the Nile River.

There, in ancient Rome, aqueducts carried water from the melted snow in the Alps to the cities and towns in the valleys. In those regions, it used to flow for drinking, washing, and irrigation. In the modern agricultural method, water supply to crops is currently being facilitated from rivers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds, tanks, and wells.

This includes aquifers, basins that collect melt from snow, lakes, as well as basins formed by dams. The canals and pipelines depend on gravity to supply water from the reservoir to the field, or pumps are employed in shifting the water.

Types of irrigation system

Surface Irrigation Systems

Surface irrigation, also known as flood irrigation or furrow irrigation is the conventional practice in which water is distributed over the soil surface by gravity. These are classified under sub-sub-categories into three, namely, furrow irrigation, border irrigation, and basin irrigation. For this type of irrigation to be considered, the field or plot has to be surfaced and leveled.

Irrigation system

Thus, most sites are unsuitable for irrigation through this technique. The very low water use efficiency of flood irrigation is rivaled only by its low cost. Flooding or furrow irrigation tends to take the crop to extremities. When flooded, the field becomes saturated. Anoxia conditions are often set up and heavy leaching of water and aliment occurs.

Overhead or Sprinkler Irrigation Systems

In impact sprinklers, there must be several sprinklers for good uniformity so that their patterns overlap. Each emitter has a specific wetting pattern. This controls the specific spacing in the middle of sprinklers to achieve the best uniformity.

Sprinkler Irrigation procedure
The sprinkler irrigation method consists of various types of emitters. Some include.
1. Central central shaft

2. Impact sprinklers / et cetera

A central pivot irrigation system is a mechanized, pressurized system. The most common and first arrangement of pivot irrigation delivers water in a circular pattern that pivots around a central point in the middle of the field. A pivot system consists of a lateral, stainless steel pipeline supported across adjacent, rolling truss structures that carry the pipe. Sprinkler nozzles are placed along the pipeline or hanging from the lateral pipe on smaller pipes or cables.

It is very similar to the center pivot system, but with a lateral move, the machine moves in a straight line rather than on a pivot. The better ability to allow coverage within a square or rectangular field presents its benefit. On the other hand, lateral move irrigation systems are also more labor-intensive during the growing season than traditional center pivot systems.

Drip Irrigation Systems

Drip irrigation is a form of micro-irrigation system in which water directly is released into the soil, and it is so through a network of pipes and emitters. Well-designed, installed, operated, and maintained/managed drip irrigation is highly efficient compared with other irrigation techniques.

Irrigation system

Drip irrigation systems consist of several parts that distribute water from its origin: pump or pressurized water supply, water filters, controller, pressure control valve, distribution pipes, meters, and gouges, manually or electrically operated or control block valves, pipes, fittings, and accessories, emission devices, and chemical injectors. Drip irrigation minimizes evaporation or runoff as the water given directly results in a more efficient and targeted application. It also results in better water savings and the health and development of plants.

It is also appropriate for the direct provision of nutrients to the root zone. This is known as fertigation. Probably, this is the most accurate method of fertilizing crops in terms of efficiency in uptake.

Subsurface drip irrigation Systems

Subsurface Drip Irrigation, SDI, is a low-pressure and highly efficient irrigation system. This technique makes use of buried drip tubes or drip tape to obtain the water needed for crops. A subsurface drip irrigation system provides flexibility as far as frequent light irrigations are concerned. This technology is appropriate for areas that happen to be arid, semi-arid, hot, and windy with a limited supply of water, but all types of soil and terrain equally apply.

A well-maintained system assures a highly uniform and efficient application of water. Water commonly moves out in all directions around the tube in characteristic patterns, depending on soil characteristics and other factors; thus wetting occurs around it. Subsurface irrigation saves water, has higher yields due to minimal surface evaporation, and lowers the incidence of weeds and diseases.

Water is directly applied to the crop root zone rather than to the soil surface where most weed seeds germinate after tillage activities. Annual weed seed germination is significantly reduced because of this. Under proper management by a fertilizer injector, water, and fertilizer application efficiencies are improved while labor requirements are reduced. Even field operations can be conducted when irrigation is applied.

Center pivot irrigation

Pivot irrigation is a mechanized pressurized system using either a circle or a line arrangement setup. It pivots around a central point in the field, and water can be applied through a center pivot circularly. Center pivots are anchored at one end, whereas lateral systems are not therefore, both ends of the machine move at a constant speed in a straight line.

It offers a better coverage of the area in square or rectangle fields. In both center pivot and lateral systems, sprinkler nozzles are mounted along the pipeline or hanging out from the main lateral pipe on smaller pipes or cables. Flow rates are easily modifiable with pressure regulators.

Pivot irrigation is economical for large operations and can supply good water distribution for plant uniformity. However, some downfalls of pivot irrigation are its high initial investment, its consumes much energy, and the field cannot be irrigated as a whole.

Benefits of Irrigation
  1. A fixed quantity of water is needed for crops to grow properly. Shortage of rainfall is accountable for this shortage of water requirement and it is the same deficit that irrigation removes by providing water when there is no rain.
  2. Except for manual irrigation, all the other irrigation methods assist in saving water remarkably in those areas where lack of water is predominant.
  3. Once water is provided to enhance the growth of the plants, subsequently, it also enhances the yield of crops.
  4. Irrigation makes it possible to grow some crops “bumper to bumper”, which is often not possible under rainfed agriculture. It makes it possible for a country or region to be self-sufficient in food production.
  5. Along with water, fertilizer inputs also can be given to the crops in the right proportion, thereby saving time and labor. This is called “Fertigation”.
  6. Irrigation improves the storage of groundwater as water lost through seepage contributes to the storage of groundwater.

The benefits of irrigation are several and quite significant. For countries such as Nigeria, which are developing, irrigation will go a long way towards helping the country reach the level of self-sufficiency. If they abandoned rainfed agriculture and could grow crops all year, their harvests would increase, and supply would outstrip demand. That would cause prices to decline further and even more, crops to be stored or passed down the agricultural value chain for processing.

Unfortunately, one thing greatly holding back the adoption of irrigation is the cost of putting it up. Most farmers are less privileged to have cash at hand that would finance this system which has already proven profitable in the long run. However, quite several improvisations have been done to beat down costs.

For instance, instead of these big reservoir tanks, the pit can be dug. The pit is covered by tarpaulin and filled with water. I have seen that most of the farmers are using drip irrigation because it is quite low-cost and saves water too. The other thing needed is the pump to take water from the reservoir to the plants through pipes.

CONCLUSION

The set-up of an irrigation system on your farm cannot be overstated in its benefits. With cheaper alternatives, it should then become cheaper than what it might seem like. Best sprinkler, Water mister, Sprinkler pump, Garden irrigation. Unfortunately, one thing greatly holding back the adoption of irrigation is the cost of putting it up. Most farmers are less privileged to have cash at hand that would finance this system which has already proven profitable in the long run. Drip line, Irrigation companies, Drip hose, Tractor sprinkler, Melnor sprinkler. However, quite several improvisations have been done to beat down costs.

 

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