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Questions and Answers
Sprinkler irrigation systems are only used for agricultural or horticultural production, and not for landscape or turf applications.
False
Single-sprinkler systems are designed to irrigate an entire area with only one sprinkler that is moved periodically or automatically across the area.
True
Surface irrigation methods generally have higher pressure requirements than sprinkler irrigation, and therefore are more expensive to operate per unit of water applied.
False
With surface irrigation, the water is distributed across the field as it flows over the soil surface.
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One of the three common problems with surface irrigation is that the water must advance across the field slowly to irrigate uniformly.
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Microirrigation systems, including drip, trickle, and spray, have no advantages over other irrigation systems.
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The performance of single sprinkler systems depends on placing the sprinkler at the proper location for the correct amount of time.
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Surface irrigation methods are generally more labor-intensive than sprinkler irrigation systems.
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Microirrigation systems, such as drip and trickle, are more efficient than surface irrigation methods.
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Sprinkler irrigation systems are the most efficient type of irrigation system.
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Study Notes
Irrigation Methods
- Excessive water applications can lead to losses through runoff or deep percolation.
- Basin Irrigation: Involves directing water onto a nearly level field, allowing it to pond for a set time.
- Border Irrigation: Disperses water uniformly over the field in sheets, falling under surface irrigation systems.
- Furrow Irrigation: Channels are laid out to utilize gravity for optimal water delivery to plants.
Micro Irrigation
- Focuses on irrigating specific plants rather than the entire soil surface.
- Drip Irrigation (Trickle Irrigation): Involves small flow rates from emitters to minimize evaporation losses.
- Benefits include high efficiency, negligible runoff even on slopes, and ease of automation to reduce labor.
Performance Measures and Efficiency
- Management objectives necessitate precise timing, rate, quantity, and location of water application.
- Irrigation systems cannot achieve 100% efficiency; water loss can occur in various forms.
- Water applied is not entirely beneficial; for sprinkler systems, evaporation during application can reduce effectiveness.
-
Application Efficiency (Ea): Defined as the fraction of applied water that contributes to the root zone’s stored water for crops.
- Formula: ( Ea = 100% \cdot \frac{dn}{da} )
- dn: net irrigation depth
- da: gross irrigation depth
- Formula: ( Ea = 100% \cdot \frac{dn}{da} )
Application Uniformity
- Evaluating uniformity requires performance calculation from field test data.
- Common metrics include Distribution Uniformity (DU) and Christiansen Uniformity Coefficient (CU).
-
DU: Calculated by the ratio of the average low-quarter depth to the mean depth infiltrated.
- Formula: ( DU = \frac{dLQ}{dz} )
- dLQ: average low-quarter depth of infiltrated water
- dz: mean depth infiltrated across observations
- Formula: ( DU = \frac{dLQ}{dz} )
-
CU: Measures variation in observations within the same area.
- Formula:
[
CU = 100% \cdot \left(1 - \frac{\sum |di - dz|}{n \cdot dz}\right)
]
- di: depth of observation
- dz: mean depth infiltrated
- n: number of observations
- Formula:
[
CU = 100% \cdot \left(1 - \frac{\sum |di - dz|}{n \cdot dz}\right)
]
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Description
Test your knowledge on different irrigation methods such as basin, border, and furrow irrigation. Learn about how each method works to efficiently deliver water to crops.
