Drip or Trickle Irrigation

Drip or Trickle Irrigation


Drip trickle irrigation in one of the latest methods of irrigation that is becoming popular in areas with water scarcity and coarse soils having high infiltration rate. It minimizes conveyance and other conventional losses such as deep percolation, runoff and soil water through dippers. In this method, irrigation is accomplished by using small diameter plastic lateral lines with devices called emitters or drippers at selected spacing to deliver water drop by drop to the soil surface near the base of the plants. The system applies water slowly to keep the soil moist within the desired range of plant root system. The system operates at less pressure 10 to 15 psi. the emitters dissipate pressure energy from the distribution system by means of orifices, vortexes and tortuous or long flow paths thus allowing a limited volume of water to discharge. Most emitters are placed on ground but they can also be buried. The emitted water moves within sol system largely by unsaturated flow.

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Suitability

                This method is adopted in areas where water is scare and quality is marginal or soil is sandy, it is especially suited to fruit trees and other valuable trees and vine crops. It is adopted for crops where application at selected points is possible instead of covering the whole area as done in gravity methods. For dense crops, its application is restricted due to cost.

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Advantages: application of water at slow rates to limited areas around trees improved water penetration on problem soils. Considerable saving of water since water could be applied almost precisely to the root zone and there is no need to wet the entire area between plants. Total evaporative surface and run off are reduced deep percolation is controlled. This method can achieve as much as 90% application efficiency. It operates at much lower pressure than sprinkler irrigation and thereof requires less energy. Weed growth is reduced because a limited soil surface is wetted.  Suited to hilly and undulating topography where intensive land labeling is prohibited.

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Disadvantages: the initial cost of drip irrigation equipment is high. Water must be relatively clear otherwise there is frequent clogging of emitters. The causes of clogging may be physical, chemical or biological factors. There may be deposition of salts in root zone because there is no leaching of salts due to less moisture surface and towards the fringes of wetted soil. Because of limited root system, nutrient availability may be limited as compared to gravity irrigation system.

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