6.1 When to Use Drip Irrigation
6.2 Drip System Layout
6.3 Operating Drip Systems
6.1.1 Suitable crops
6.1.2 Suitable slopes
6.1.3 Suitable soils
6.1.4 Suitable irrigation water
Drip irrigation is sometimes called trickle irrigation and involves dripping water onto the soil at very low rates (2-20 litres/hour) from a system of small diameter plastic pipes fitted with outlets called emitters or drippers. Water is applied close to plants so that only part of the soil in which the roots grow is wetted (Figure 60), unlike surface and sprinkler irrigation, which involves wetting the whole soil profile. With drip irrigation water, applications are more frequent (usually every 1-3 days) than with other methods and this provides a very favourable high moisture level in the soil in which plants can flourish.
Figure 60 With drip irrigation, only the part of the soil in which the roots grow is wetted
Drip irrigation is most suitable for row crops (vegetables, soft fruit), tree and vine crops where one or more emitters can be provided for each plant. Generally only high value crops are considered because of the high capital costs of installing a drip system.
Drip irrigation is adaptable to any farmable slope. Normally the crop would be planted along contour lines and the water supply pipes (laterals) would be laid along the contour also. This is done to minimize changes in emitter discharge as a result of land elevation changes.
Drip irrigation is suitable for most soils. On clay soils water must be applied slowly to avoid surface water ponding and runoff. On sandy soils higher emitter discharge rates will be needed to ensure adequate lateral wetting of the soil.
One of the main problems with drip irrigation is blockage of the emitters. All emitters have very small waterways ranging from 0.2-2.0 mm in diameter and these can become blocked if the water is not clean. Thus it is essential for irrigation water to be free of sediments. If this is not so then filtration of the irrigation water will be needed.
Blockage may also occur if the water contains algae, fertilizer deposits and dissolved chemicals which precipitate such as calcium and iron. Filtration may remove some of the materials but the problem may be complex to solve and requires an experienced engineer or consultation with the equipment dealer.
Drip irrigation is particularly suitable for water of poor quality (saline water). Dripping water to individual plants also means that the method can be very efficient in water use. For this reason it is most suitable when water is scarce.
A typical drip irrigation system is shown in Figure 61 and consists of the following components:
Pump unit
Control head
Main and submain lines
Laterals
Emitters or drippers.
Figure 61 An example of a drip irrigation system layout
The pump unit takes water from the source and provides the right pressure for delivery into the pipe system.
The control head consists of valves to control the discharge and pressure In the entire system. It may also have filters to clear the water. Common types of filter include screen filters and graded sand filters which remove fine material suspended in the water. Some control head units contain a fertilizer or nutrient tank. These slowly add a measured dose of fertilizer into the water during irrigation. This is one of the major advantages of drip irrigation over other methods.
Mainlines, submains and laterals supply water from the control head into the fields. They are usually made from PVC or polyethylene hose and should be buried below ground because they easily degrade when exposed to direct solar radiation. Lateral pipes are usually 13-32 mm diameter.
Emitters or drippers are devices used to control the discharge of water from the lateral to the plants. They are usually spaced more than 1 metre apart with one or more emitters used for a single plant such as a tree. For row crops more closely spaced emitters may be used to wet a strip of soil. Many different emitter designs have been produced in recent years. The basis of design is to produce an emitter which will provide a specified constant discharge which does not vary much with pressure changes, and does not block easily. Various types of emitters are shown in Figure 61 and Figure 62. Figure 63 gives an example of sublateral loops.
A drip system is usually permanent. When remaining In place during more than one season, a system is considered permanent. Thus it can easily be automated. This is very useful when labour is scarce or expensive to hire. However, automation requires specialist skills and so this approach is unsuitable if such skills are not available.
Water can be applied frequently (every day if required) with drip irrigation and this provides very favourable conditions for crop growth. However, if crops are used to being watered each day they may only develop shallow roots and If the system breaks down, the crop may begin to suffer very quickly.
Unlike surface and sprinkler irrigation, drip irrigation only wets part of the soil root zone. This may be as, low as 30% of the volume of soil wetted by the other methods. The wetting patterns which develop from dripping water onto the soil depend on discharge and soil type. Figure 64 shows the effect of changes in discharge on two different soil types, namely sand and clay.
Figure 64 Wetting patterns for sand and clay soils with high and low discharge rates (SAND)
Figure 64 Wetting patterns for sand and clay soils with high and low discharge rates (CLAY)
Although only part of the root zone is wetted it is still important to meet the full water needs of the crop. It is sometimes thought that drip irrigation saves water by reducing the amount used by the crop. This is not true. Crop water use is not changed by the method of applying water. Crops just require the right amount for good growth.
The water savings that can be made using drip irrigation are the reductions in deep percolation, in surface runoff and in evaporation from the soil. These savings, it must be remembered, depend as much on the user of the equipment as on the equipment itself.
Drip irrigation is not a substitute for other proven methods of irrigation. It is just another way of applying water. It is best suited to areas where water quality is marginal, land is steeply sloping or undulating and of poor quality, where water or labour are expensive, or where high value crops require frequent water applications.
