Drip irrigation

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Drip irrigation or trickle irrigation is a type of micro-irrigation system that has the potential to save water and nutrients by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either from above the soil surface or buried below the surface. The goal is to place water directly into the root zone and minimize evaporation. Drip irrigation systems distribute water through a network of valves, pipes, tubing, and emitters. Depending on how well designed, installed, maintained, and operated it is, a drip irrigation system can be more efficient than other types of irrigation systems, such as surface irrigation or sprinkler irrigation.

Contents

History

Ancient China

Primitive drip irrigation has been used since ancient times. Fan Shengzhi shu , written in China during the first century BCE, describes the use of buried, unglazed clay pots filled with water, sometimes referred to as Ollas, as a means of irrigation. [1] [2]

Modern development

Germany: subsurface pipe

Modern drip irrigation began its development in Germany in 1860 when researchers began experimenting with subsurface irrigation using clay pipe to create combination irrigation and drainage systems. [3]

Perforated pipe

The research was later expanded in the 1920s to include the application of perforated pipe systems. [4]

Australia: use of plastic

The usage of plastic to hold and distribute water in drip irrigation was later developed in Australia by Hannis Thill. [4]

Israel: plastic emitter

Usage of a plastic emitter in drip irrigation was developed in Israel by Simcha Blass and his son Yeshayahu. [5] Instead of releasing water through tiny holes easily blocked by tiny particles, water was released through larger and longer passageways by using friction to slow water inside a plastic emitter. The first experimental system of this type was established in 1959 by Blass, who partnered later (1964) with Kibbutz Hatzerim to create an irrigation company called Netafim. Together they developed and patented the first practical surface drip irrigation emitter. [3] [4]

Goldberg and Shmueli (1970) [6] developed a significant improvement: "in the Arava desert in southern Israel [Shmueli] demonstrated that a trickle-irrigation system installed on the soil surface worked exceptionally well in producing vegetable crops, even with saline water (Elfving, 1989). The system...was responsible for the greening of formerly unproductive environment". [7]

Replacing sub-surface system with on surface system solved the disadvantage of clogging the subsurface system. Their improvement prevailed: "Drip irrigation is presently the most efficient means to apply water to crops (Pathak et al. 2009; Goyal 2012)... There are two variations of the technology: surface and subsurface. The most common is surface drip irrigation, first developed in Israel (Goldberg and Shmueli 1970)... Due to the need to improve irrigation efficiency, as a measure toward sustainable use of water resources, there is wide interest in drip irrigation (Scanlon et al. 2012; Steward et al. 2013; Schaible and Aillery 2017) and is highlighted by numerous studies to evaluate its performance for the production of several crops." [8]

US: drip tape

In the United States, the first drip tape, called Dew Hose, was developed by Richard Chapin of Chapin Watermatics in the early 1960s. [9] [10] The evolution of drip tape which made drip tape adopted and used at a big scale was the introduction of T-Tape in 1987 by Plastro Irrigation, that had the first slit outlet and a laminar flow track which later evolved into a turbulent flow regulating flow track. Chapin Watermatics was acquired by Jain Irrigation in 2006 and is housed under its US subsidiary Jain Irrigation Inc, USA. [11] [12] [13]

First introduced in California in the late 1960s, only 5% of irrigated land used this system by 1988. By 2010, 40% of irrigated land in California used this system. [14]

Trickle ring

A trickle ring is a circular device which evenly distributes water around the base of a tree or shrub. Connected to a water supply by a garden hose or tubing adapter fitting, trickle rings may be integrated into an irrigation network which waters many plants at the same time. By regulating the flow of water through the trickle ring, soil can be saturated at a rate which conserves water by minimizing wasteful surface runoff and losses due to evaporation.[ citation needed ]

Significance

Modern drip irrigation has arguably become the world's most valued innovation in agriculture since the invention in the 1930s of the impact sprinkler, which offered the first practical alternative to surface irrigation.

Current developments

Careful study of all the relevant factors like land topography, soil, water, crop and agro-climatic conditions are needed to determine the most suitable drip irrigation system and components to be used in a specific installation.

Micro-spray heads

Drip irrigation may also use devices called micro-spray heads, which spray water in a small area, instead of dripping emitters. These are generally used on tree and vine crops with wider root zones.

Subsurface drip irrigation

Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) uses permanently or temporarily buried dripperline or drip tape located at or below the plant roots. It is becoming popular for row crop irrigation, especially in areas where water supplies are limited, or recycled water is used for irrigation.

Global reach and market leaders

As of 2012, China and India were the fastest expanding countries in the field of drip- or other micro-irrigation, while worldwide well over ten million hectares used these technologies. [15] Still, this amounted to less than 4 percent of the world's irrigated land. [15] That year, Israel's Netafim was the global market leader (a position it maintained in 2018 [16] ), with India's Jain Irrigation being the second-biggest micro-irrigation company. [15] In 2017 Rivulis bought Eurodrip and became the world's second largest irrigation systems manufacturer. [17]

Components and operation

Drip irrigation system layout and its parts Dripirrigation.gif
Drip irrigation system layout and its parts
Water distribution in subsurface drip irrigation
Nursery flowers watered with drip irrigation in Israel Dianthus caryophyllus Colori Joy (p) 2005-12-04.JPG
Nursery flowers watered with drip irrigation in Israel
Horticulture drip emitter in a pot Drip emitter.jpg
Horticulture drip emitter in a pot

Components used in drip irrigation (listed in order from water source) include:

In drip irrigation systems, pump and valves may be manually or automatically operated by a controller.

Most large drip irrigation systems employ some type of filter to prevent clogging of the small emitter flow path by small waterborne particles. New technologies are now[ when? ] being offered that minimize clogging. Some residential systems are installed without additional filters since potable water is already filtered at the water treatment plant. Virtually all drip irrigation equipment manufacturers recommend that filters be employed and generally will not honor warranties unless this is done. Last line filters just before the final delivery pipe are strongly recommended in addition to any other filtration system due to fine particle settlement and accidental insertion of particles in the intermediate lines.

Drip and subsurface drip irrigation is used almost exclusively when using recycled municipal wastewater. Regulations typically do not permit spraying water through the air that has not been fully treated to potable water standards.

Because of the way the water is applied in a drip system, traditional surface applications of timed-release fertilizer are sometimes ineffective, so drip systems often mix liquid fertilizer with the irrigation water. This is called fertigation; fertigation and chemigation (application of pesticides and other chemicals to periodically clean out the system, such as chlorine or sulfuric acid) use chemical injectors such as diaphragm pumps, piston pumps, or aspirators. The chemicals may be added constantly whenever the system is irrigating or at intervals. Fertilizer savings of up to 95% are being reported from recent university field tests using drip fertigation and slow water delivery as compared to timed-release and irrigation by micro spray heads.

Properly designed, installed, and managed, drip irrigation may help achieve water conservation by reducing evaporation and deep drainage when compared to other types of irrigation such as flood or overhead sprinklers since water can be more precisely applied to the plant roots. In addition, drip can eliminate many diseases that are spread through water contact with the foliage. Finally, in regions where water supplies are severely limited, there may be no actual water savings, but rather simply an increase in production while using the same amount of water as before. In very arid regions or on sandy soils, the preferred method is to apply the irrigation water as slowly as possible.

Pulsed irrigation is sometimes used to decrease the amount of water delivered to the plant at any one time, thus reducing runoff or deep percolation. Pulsed systems are typically expensive and require extensive maintenance. Therefore, the latest efforts by emitter manufacturers are focused on developing new technologies that deliver irrigation water at ultra-low flow rates, i.e. less than 1.0 L (2.1 US pints; 1.8 imperial pints) per hour. Slow-and-even delivery further improves water use efficiency without incurring the expense and complexity of pulsed delivery equipment.

An emitting pipe is a type of drip irrigation tubing with emitters pre-installed at the factory with specific distance and flow per hour as per crop distance.

An emitter restricts water flow passage through it, thus creating head loss required (to the extent of atmospheric pressure) to emit water in the form of droplets. This head loss is achieved by friction/turbulence within the emitter.

Advantages and disadvantages

Drip irrigation and spare drip irrigation tubes in banana farm at Chinawal, India Banana Drip Irrigation At Chinawal.jpg
Drip irrigation and spare drip irrigation tubes in banana farm at Chinawal, India
Pot irrigation by on-line drippers Button dripper.JPG
Pot irrigation by on-line drippers
Pressure compensated integral dripper on soilless medium without growing channels UNIRAM PLANTA.jpg
Pressure compensated integral dripper on soilless medium without growing channels

The advantages of drip irrigation are:

The disadvantages of drip irrigation are:

Drip tape

Drip Irrigation T-tape Drip Irrigation T-tape.jpg
Drip Irrigation T-tape

Drip tape is a type of thin-walled dripperline used in drip irrigation. The first drip tape was known as "Dew Hose". [19]

Drip tape duct tape is made of polyethylene and is sold flat on reels. The wall thickness typically ranges from 0.1 to 0.6 mm (4 to 25 mils ). Thicker walled tapes are commonly used for permanent subsurface drip irrigation and thinner walled tapes for temporary throw-away type systems in high-value crops.

Water exits from tape through emitters or drippers. The typical emitter spacing ranges from 150 to 610 mm (6 to 24 inches). In some products, the emitters are manufactured simultaneously with the tape and are actually formed as part of the product itself. In others, the emitters are manufactured separately and installed at the time of production.

Some product is not a tape, but a thin-walled dripperline, but in popular parlance, both types of products are called tapes. Typical tape diameters are 16 mm (58 in), 22 mm (78 in), and 35 mm (1+38 in), with the larger diameters more commonly used on permanent installations with longer runs.

Drip tape is a recyclable material and can be recycled into viable plastic resins for reuse in the plastics manufacturing industry.

Uses

Irrigation dripper Irrigation dripper.jpg
Irrigation dripper

Drip irrigation is used in farms, commercial greenhouses, and residential gardens. Drip irrigation is adopted extensively in areas of acute water scarcity and especially for crops and trees such as coconuts, containerized landscape trees, grapes, bananas, ber, eggplant, citrus, strawberries, sugarcane, cotton, maize, and tomatoes.

Drip irrigation kits for home gardens are increasingly popular for homeowners and consist of a timer, hose, and emitter. Hoses that are 4 mm (0.16 in) in diameter are used to irrigate flower pots.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irrigation</span> Agricultural artificial application of water to land

Irrigation is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been developed by many cultures around the world. Irrigation helps to grow crops, maintain landscapes, and revegetate disturbed soils in dry areas and during times of below-average rainfall. In addition to these uses, irrigation is also employed to protect crops from frost, suppress weed growth in grain fields, and prevent soil consolidation. It is also used to cool livestock, reduce dust, dispose of sewage, and support mining operations. Drainage, which involves the removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given location, is often studied in conjunction with irrigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drainage</span> Removal of water from an area of land

Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of a surface's water and sub-surface water from an area with excess water. The internal drainage of most agricultural soils can prevent severe waterlogging, but many soils need artificial drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water conservation</span> Policies for sustainable development of water use

Water conservation includes all the policies, strategies and activities to sustainably manage the natural resource of fresh water, to protect the hydrosphere, and to meet the current and future human demand. Population, household size and growth and affluence all affect how much water is used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic mulch</span> Plastic film used in the role of mulch

Plastic mulch is a product used in plasticulture in a similar fashion to mulch, to suppress weeds and conserve water in crop production and landscaping. Certain plastic mulches also act as a barrier to keep methyl bromide, both a powerful fumigant and ozone depleter, in the soil. Crops grow through slits or holes in thin plastic sheeting. Plastic mulch is often used in conjunction with drip irrigation. Some research has been done using different colors of mulch to affect crop growth. Use of plastic mulch is predominant in large-scale vegetable growing, with millions of acres cultivated under plastic mulch worldwide each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nutrient management</span> Management of nutrients in agriculture

Nutrient management is the science and practice directed to link soil, crop, weather, and hydrologic factors with cultural, irrigation, and soil and water conservation practices to achieve optimal nutrient use efficiency, crop yields, crop quality, and economic returns, while reducing off-site transport of nutrients (fertilizer) that may impact the environment. It involves matching a specific field soil, climate, and crop management conditions to rate, source, timing, and place of nutrient application.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hose</span> Flexible hollow tube to carry fluids

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agricultural wastewater treatment</span> Farm management for controlling pollution from confined animal operations and surface runoff

Agricultural wastewater treatment is a farm management agenda for controlling pollution from confined animal operations and from surface runoff that may be contaminated by chemicals in fertilizer, pesticides, animal slurry, crop residues or irrigation water. Agricultural wastewater treatment is required for continuous confined animal operations like milk and egg production. It may be performed in plants using mechanized treatment units similar to those used for industrial wastewater. Where land is available for ponds, settling basins and facultative lagoons may have lower operational costs for seasonal use conditions from breeding or harvest cycles. Animal slurries are usually treated by containment in anaerobic lagoons before disposal by spray or trickle application to grassland. Constructed wetlands are sometimes used to facilitate treatment of animal wastes.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irrigation sprinkler</span> Method of irrigating lawns and crops

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sewage farm</span>

Sewage farms use sewage for irrigation and fertilizing agricultural land. The practice is common in warm, arid climates where irrigation is valuable while sources of fresh water are scarce. Suspended solids may be converted to humus by microbes and bacteria in order to supply nitrogen, phosphorus and other plant nutrients for crop growth. Many industrialized nations use conventional sewage treatment plants nowadays instead of sewage farms. These reduce vector and odor problems; but sewage farming remains a low-cost option for some developing countries. Sewage farming should not be confused with sewage disposal through infiltration basins or subsurface drains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fertigation</span> Adding fertilizers to an irrigation system

Fertigation is the injection of fertilizers, used for soil amendments, water amendments and other water-soluble products into an irrigation system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jain Irrigation Systems</span>

Jain Irrigation Systems, or Jains, is an Indian multinational conglomerate based in Jalgaon. It develops, manufactures, supports and sells diversified products, including drip and sprinkler irrigation systems and its components, integrated irrigation automation systems for monitoring and control, dosing systems, PVC and PE piping systems, plastic sheets, greenhouses, bio-fertilizers, solar power, solar water heating systems, solar water pumps, turnkey biogas plants, photovoltaic systems and tissue culture plants. JISL also processes dehydrated vegetables, spices, concentrated & frozen fruits or pulp. It also provides turnkey projects and agronomical support services.

Rivulis is a global manufacturer and provider of complete micro and drip irrigation systems and solutions for seasonal horticulture, orchards, vineyards, row crops, SDI and greenhouse, soilless, hydroponic applications. Founded in 1966 as Plastro Irrigation Systems Ltd, Rivulis is headquartered in Kibbutz Gvat, Jezreel Valley, Israel. The company represents an integration of four industry pioneers and veterans: Plastro, T-Systems, Roberts Irrigation, and Eurodrip. It has 3,300 business partners worldwide, and a wholesale retail and vast dealer network in over 120 countries. The company operates 16 factories worldwide and has 2,000 employees. Rivulis has multiple global design centers and 3 R&D centers in agricultural hotspots of Israel, California, and Greece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhavarlal Jain</span>

Bhavarlal Hiralal Jain was an Indian entrepreneur, hounered by the Padma Award, Government of India, and the founder chairman of Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd. (JISL), now the second largest micro-irrigation company in the world. He was a staunch Gandhian and philanthropist. He was the founder of Gandhi Research Foundation.

An agricultural drainage system is a system by which water is drained on or in the soil to enhance agricultural production of crops. It may involve any combination of stormwater control, erosion control, and watertable control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Micro-irrigation</span> Low pressure and flow irrigation system

Micro-irrigation, also called Micro-spray,localized, low-volume, low-flow, or trickle irrigation, is an irrigation method with lower water pressure and flow than a traditional sprinkler system. Low-volume irrigation is used in agriculture for row crops, orchards, and vineyards. It is also used in horticulture in wholesale nurseries, in landscaping for civic, commercial, and private landscapes and gardens, and in the science and practice of restoration ecology and environmental remediation. The lower volume allows the water to be absorbed into slow-percolation soils such as clay, minimizing runoff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subsurface textile irrigation</span>

Subsurface Textile Irrigation (SSTI) is a technology designed specifically for subsurface irrigation in all soil textures from desert sands to heavy clays. The use of SSTI will significantly reduce the usage of water, fertilizer and herbicide. It will lower on-going operational costs and, if maintained properly, will last for decades. By delivering water and nutrients directly to the root zone, plants are healthier and have a far greater yield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vermifilter</span> Aerobic treatment system, consisting of a biological reactor containing media

A vermifilter is an aerobic treatment system, consisting of a biological reactor containing media that filters organic material from wastewater. The media also provides a habitat for aerobic bacteria and composting earthworms that purify the wastewater by removing pathogens and oxygen demand. The "trickling action" of the wastewater through the media dissolves oxygen into the wastewater, ensuring the treatment environment is aerobic for rapid decomposition of organic substances.

A fertilizer injector is a piece of farming equipment used by farmers to reduce labor when fertilizing a large number of crops. Though this device can be used in a variety of agricultural ways, these injectors are essential in greenhouses and nurseries. This injector is utilized every time the plants are watered, which provides consistency for necessary plant growth. This form of micro-irrigation has become more popular over the past few years, which only further contributes to how unparalleled uniformity this device provides.

References

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Further reading