Trickle Irrigation | Detailed Explanation
Trickle irrigation (also known as droplet irrigation) is the mainline (37.5 mm to 70 mm diameter pipe), sub-heads (25 mm to 37.5 mm diameter pipe), laterals (6 mm to 8 mm diameter pipe), valves (flow control), Drippers or emitters (for watering plants), pressure gauges, water meters, filters (to remove all debris, sand, and clay to reduce emitter disturbance), pumps, fertilizer tanks, vacuum breakers, and pressure regulators.
Drippers are designed to supply water directly to the soil at the desired rate (1 to 10 liters per hour).
Low-pressure heads are considered adequate for emitters as the soil capillary forces cause the emitted water to spread laterally and vertically.
The flow is manually controlled or automatically set to
(i) deliver the desired amount of water for a predetermined time, or
(ii) supply the water whenever the soil moisture is reduced to a predetermined amount. The schematic diagram of a typical drip irrigation system is shown in Figure 3.6.
Drip irrigation has several advantages. It saves water, increases plant growth and crop yields, saves energy and energy, controls weeds growth, does not cause soil erosion, does not require land preparation, and improves fertilizer application efficiency.
However, this method of irrigation has some economic and technical limitations because it requires more skill in design, installation, and subsequent operation.
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Trickle irrigation enables the efficient application of water in the root zone of small trees and widely spaced plants without wetting the soil without roots.
In dry areas, irrigation efficiency can be as high as 90 percent and with good management, it can reach 100 percent ideal value.
The main reason for the high efficiency of trickle irrigation is the ability to continuously produce and maintain high soil moisture in the root zone and decrease in the growth of weeds (due to limited wet surface area) and competition with water and crop. Nutrients.
Also Read: Sprinkle Irrigation
Pests, diseases, and fungal problems can also be reduced by reducing the soil surface moisture.
Due to its ability to maintain nearly constant soil moisture in the root zone, Figure 3.7, trickle irrigation yields better quality and higher crop yields.
Fruits with enough moisture (tomatoes, grapes, fruits, etc.) respond well to trickle irrigation during harvesting. However, this method is not entirely appropriate (in practice Plus economic considerations) for closely planted crops such as wheat and other cereal grains.
One of the major problems of trickle irrigation is that small pipes and openings in the emitters are clogged with sand and clay particles, debris, chemical sediments, and organic growth.
In trickle irrigation, only a fraction of the soil is moistened and so it must ensure that it does not restrict root growth. Another problem of trickle irrigation is the use of water by plants because of the molten salt remaining in the soil.
Also Read: Micro Irrigation
If the rainwater causes the salts near the surface to flow into the root zone, the crop can be severely damaged. In such cases, it may be necessary to apply water by sprinkler or surface irrigation.
Due to the obvious benefits of drip irrigation water-saving and increased crop yields, India has embarked on a massive program to popularize this method. The area under drip irrigation in India is about 71000 ha.
Area coverage is the highest in Maharashtra. (About 33000 ha) followed by Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The cost of a drip irrigation system in India is around Rs. 15000 to 40000 per hectare.
The profit-to-cost ratio for drip irrigation systems (excluding the benefit of saving in water) varies between 1.3 and 2.6. However, for grapes, this ratio is high and probably over 13.
Also Read: Abstraction from precipitation