IRRIGATIONIrrigation

SYSTEM
Systems
AND COMPONENTS and
Components
Objectives
At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:

1. Identify the methods of Irregation.

2. Discuss the different components of irrigation
systems.
3. Value the importance of irrigation systems in
agriculture.
Activity:
 What was the picture all about?

 Whatare your ideas and thought about the picture

shown?

 What is irrigation?
Let us discuss!

Irrigation is described as the artificial

application of water to the land or soil.

Irrigation also has many applications in crop

production, which include:
1. Protecting plants against frost
2. Suppressing weed growth in grain fields
3. Preventing soil consolidation.
4. Preventing dust suppression,
5. Disposal of sewage, and in mining.
Surface Irrigation - water flows and spreads over the
surface of the land.

Different factors to consider in hydraulics of surface

irrigation.
1. Surface slope of the field
2. Roughness of the field surface
3. Depth of water to be applied
4. Length of run and time required
5. Size and shape of water-course
6. Discharge of the water-course
7. Field resistance to erosion
If the surface irrigation method is perfectly selected, it fulfills
following requirements:
1. It assists in storing required amount of water in the root-zone-
depth.
2. It reduces the wastage of irrigation water from the field in the
form of run-off
water.
3. It reduces the soil erosion to minimum.
4. It helps applying uniform application of water to the fields.
5. Amount of manual labour required is less.
6. It is suitable to the size of the field and at the same time it uses
minimum land for
making ditches, furrows, strips, etc.
7. It does not avert use of machinery for land preparation,
cultivation, harvesting.
4 Classifications Of Surface Irrigation
Basin irrigation is
common practice of
surface irrigation. This
method is employed for
watering orchards. It is
useful especially in
regions with layouts of
small field.
Furrow Irrigation
Trenches or “furrows” are
dug between crop rows in a
field. Farmers flow water
down the furrows (often using
only gravity) and it seeps
vertically and horizontally to
refill the soil reservoir.
Uncontrolled flooding
There are many cases where
croplands are irrigated
without regard to efficiency
or consistency. These are
usually situations where the
value of the crop is very
small or the field is used for
grazing or recreation
purposes.
Free Flooding
Water is applied to the land from field ditches without
any check or guidance to the flow. The land is divided
into plots of suitable size depending on porosity of soil.

Advantage:
The initial cost of land preparation is less.
Disadvanatge:
High labour requirement.
Water application efficiency is low.
Border Strip Method
A field is divided into
number of strips. Strips
are separated by low
embankments or levees.
The water is diverted
from the field channel
into the strips. The water
flows gradually towards
lower end, wetting the
soil as it advances.
 A well is a hole dug in
the ground to get the
subsoil water. Various
methods are used to lift the
ground water from the well
for irrigation, drinking,
bathing and for other
purposes.
A tube well is a deeper
well (generally over 15
metres deep) from which
water is lifted with the help
of a pumping set operated
by an electric motor, a
diesel engine or solar
power.
Canal Irrigation
Canals are most effective
techniques of irrigation in
areas of low level relief,
deep fertile soils, perennial
source of water and
extensive command area.
Tank Irrigation
As an irrigation storage
system which is developed
by constructing a small
bund of earth or stones
built across a stream. The
water impounded by the
bund is used for irrigation
and for other purposes.
 Micro-Irrigation or Localized Irrigation
Drip Irrigation
water is applied near the plant
root through emitters or
drippers, on or below the soil
surface. The soil moisture is
kept at an optimum level with
frequent irrigations.
The advantages of drip irrigation are under:
1. Possibility of using soluble fertilizers and
chemicals.
2. Fertilizer and nutrient loss is minimized due to
localized application and reduced
leaching.
3. Water application efficiency is high.
4. Field levelling is not necessary. Fields with
irregular shapes are easily
accommodated.
5. Recycled non-potable water can be safely used.
The shortcomings of drip irrigation are:
1. Initial cost can be more in this technique.
2. The sunrays can affect the tubes used for drip irrigation,
shortening their usable life.
3. If the water is not properly filtered and the equipment not
suitably maintained, it can
result in blockage.
4. For subsurface drip the irrigator cannot see the water that
is applied. This may lead to
the farmer either applying too much water (low efficiency)
or an insufficient amount of
water, this is particularly common for those with less
experience with drip irrigation.
Major component of
drip irrigation:
Pump station - takes
water from the source
and provides the right
pressure for delivery into
the pipe system.
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.

Control valves - control

the discharge and
pressure in the entire
system.
Filtration system - cleans
the water. Common types of
filter include screen filters
and graded sand filters
which remove fine material
suspended in the water.
Fertilizer tank - 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.
By pass assembly- to
bypass the excess water
and pressure right at the
source and pump could
be adequate instead of
pressure regulators or
pressure relief valves.
Pressure gauge- it is
used to determine water
pressure in the drip
irrigation system.
Laterals - tubes on which
the emitters are mounted or
within which they are
integrated.

Micro tubes- refers to the

1/8” and 1/4’’ polythylene
(PE) and vinyl (flexible
PVC) tubing used in drip
irrigation as feeder lines
from the distribution or
main lins to plants.
Sprinkler Irrigation
Water is sprinkled into the
air and allowed to fall on
the ground surface just like
rainfall. The spray is done
by the flow of water under
pressure through small
orifices or nozzles.
Advantages of Sprinkler Irrigation
1. Elimination of the channels for conveyance,
therefore no conveyance loss.
2. It is Suitable to all types of soil apart from heavy
clay.
3. It is appropriate technique for irrigating crops
where the plant population per unit area is
very high. It is most suitable for oil seeds and other
cereal and vegetable crops.
4. It saves water.
5. With this technique of irrigation, there is control
of water application convenient for giving
light and frequent irrigation and higher water
application efficiency.
Disadvantages of sprinkler system:
1. In this technique, initial cost of implementation is high.
2. High and constant energy requirement for operation.
3. Under high wind condition and high temperature distribution
and application efficiency is
poor.
4. Highly saline water causes leaf burning when temperature is
higher than 95 F.
5. When lands have been already levelled and developed for
surface or other irrigation
methods sprinkler irrigation is not so economical.
6. There is loss of water due to evaporation from the area during
irrigation.
Other Irrigation Methods
Surge Irrigation: Surge
Irrigation is an alternative
of furrow irrigation
where the water supply is
pulsed on and off in
planned time periods
(e.g. on for 1 hour off for
1½ hour).
Ditch Irrigation: Ditch
Irrigation is type of traditional
method, where ditches are dug
out and seedlings are planted
in rows.
Sub-irrigation or seepage
irrigation: It is a system of
irrigation where water is
allowed to the plant root zone
from below the soil surface
and absorbed upwards.
Application

Ma’am Mafe instructed you

to have a garden plot in your
house. In order for your
plant/vegetable to grow and
survive, what method of
irrigation you are going to
apply?
Directions: Read each statement below carefully and fill in the
blanks with appropriate answers.
 It is a hole dug in th ground to get the subsoil water.
 It is a deeper well (generally over 15 meters deep) from
which water is lifted with the help of a pumping set operated
by an eclectric motor, a diesel engine or a solar power.
 In this technique, water is applied near the plant root through
emitters or drippers, on or below the soil surface.
 These are devices used to control the discharge of water
from the lateral to the plants.
 In this technique, water is sprinkled into the air and allowed
to fall on the ground surface just like rainfall.