YOUR BEST PRACTICE
Surface irrigation
While in many ways surface irrigation is perceived as low-tech, wasteful or outdated, these types of systems do not always inherently perform wastefully. What surface irrigation systems do require for uniform application is the right combination of conditions: medium-heavy soil types, variable flow rate water supply, quality land grading, uniform soils and a tailwater recovery system.
Furrows
The most important goal with efficient surface irrigation systems is to get water to the end of the field quickly with a good distribution uniformity, which will result in reduced tailwater and deep percolation losses. Good techniques include shorter furrows, “torpedoes” or other weighted implements that compact the soil in the furrows. Other management options, such as surge flow, can also improve application uniformities.
Border strips
Border strips are not viable on soils that form a crust when flooded with water, in hilly terrain or with crops that are sensitive to a continuously wet environment. The supply flow rate should be cut off when the advancing water is about 60% (for slow intake soils) to 90% (for high intake soils) of the way down the field.
Strawberries being grown with row crop drip irrigation in substrate
Microirrigation
Microirrigation systems can include drip emitters, microsprinklers, microsprayers and subsurface drip, in many combinations. Microirrigation also provides a wide array of pressure compensating emitters, allowing systems to be installed on oddly shaped fields and fields with very steep slopes while potentially improving distribution uniformity. Good management knowledge and practices are essential.
Subsurface drip tape
Subsurface row crop drip tape is ideal for strawberries. Microirrigation systems can also utilize saltier water better than other irrigation systems. Growers have found that fertigation is readily done by spoon-feeding material to the plants; strawberry growers address salinity issues with the addition of calcium and sulphur-based fertilizers.
Surface irrigation on alfalfa
irrigationtoday.org
Newer technologies also allow microirrigation to be more cost-effective. Drip tape retrieval or installation units can be used to easily remove tape for use in another field or dispense tape onto beds.
When selecting the appropriate irrigation method that will water to your crop, it is important to have a strong understanding of the various options and how they are best utilized.
Fall 2019 | Irrigation TODAY 29
Row crop drip irrigation on vegetables
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