FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS OF

IRRIGATION
AG. ENG’G 1 – IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

At the end of this chapter, the students will be able to:

1. Identify the concepts, principles & practices of irrigation.
2. Classify and familiarize the methods of irrigation.
3. Identify and describe the type of climate of a given region.
4. Draw and explain the hydrologic cycle.
5. Explain the effect of the cycle on the availability of water sources.
6. Describe the role of the various climatological elements on the cycle.
INTRODUCTION TO IRRIGATION

Irrigation
Irrigation is generally defined as
the artificial application of water to
the soil for the purpose of
supplying the moisture essential for
plant growth.
Irrigation water is supplied to
supplement the water available from
rainfall.
PURPOSE OF IRRIGATION

1.To add water to the soil in order to supply moisture essential for plant growth.
2. To provide crop insurance against short duration drought.
3.To cool the soil and atmosphere thereby making the environment more favorable for plant growth.

4. To wash out or dilute salt in the soil

5.To soften tillage pan and clods.
6.To facilitate the functioning of some micro-organisms.
7. To enhance fertilizer application – fertigation.
IMPORTANT TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

Water requirement
 The water requirement (WR) of a crop may be defined as
the quantity of water, regardless of its source, required
by a crop in a given period for its normal growth and
development under field conditions at a specific place.
 Water requirement includes the losses due to evapo-
transpiration (ET) or consumptive use (CU) plus the losses
during the application of irrigation water and the amount
required for special operations such as land preparation,
transplanting, leaching, etc. it may thus be formulated as
follows: WR = ET or CU + application losses + special
needs.
IMPORTANT TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

Irrigation requirement (IR)

the water requirement of the crop,
excluding effective rainfall and the
contribution from soil profile, and may be
formulated as: IR =WR – (ER+S).
A farm irrigation requirement depends on
the irrigation needs of the individual crops,
their area and losses in the farm water
distribution systems, mainly by seepage.
IMPORTANT TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

Net irrigation requirement

amount of irrigation water required

to bring the soil moisture level in the
effective root zone to field capacity.
the difference between field capacity
and the soil moisture content in the root
zone before starting irrigation.
IMPORTANT TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
 Gross irrigation requirement

 the total amount of water applied through irrigation. In other words, it is the net
irrigation requirement plus losses in water application and other losses. Gross irrigation
requirement can be determined for a field, a farm, an outlet command area, or an irrigation
project, depending on the need, by considering the appropriate losses at various stages of
the crop growth.

 Gross irrigation requirement in field = net irrigation requirement divided by irrigation

efficiency.
 For example, if the net amount of irrigation is 10 cm and the irrigation efficiency is 70%,
the gross amount of water to be applied to the field is 10 cm divided by 0.70 = 14.29 cm.
IMPORTANT TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
Irrigation efficiency
Irrigation efficiency is a measure of the amount of water delivered by irrigation
that actually ends up as available water to the plant.
To illustrate the point, let us assume a rooting depth of 1.5 m. ideally, the soil
should be wetted evenly down to a depth of at least 4 m. In practice this is rarely
attained. Irrigation efficiency is a measure of how close the water delivery system
comes to achieving this ideal situation.
 It gives a measure of the amount of water effectively delivered to a farm and
varies from soil to soil. The ratio between water requirement and irrigation
requirement is a measure of irrigation efficiency. It indicates how efficiently the
available water supply is being used.
IMPORTANT TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

 Irrigation frequency
 the number of days between any two subsequent irrigations during periods without
rainfall.
 It depends on the consumptive use rate of a crop and the amount of available
moisture in the crop root zone. It is a function of crop, soil and climate.
 Sandy soils are irrigated more often than fine-textured soils.
 Moisture use rate increases as the crop grows and the days become longer and hotter.
FACTORS INFLUENCING IRRIGATION EFFICIENCY
• The principal factors influencing irrigation efficiency are the design of the
irrigation system.
• The degree of land preparation
• And the skills and care of the irrigator.
 
Water is lost from the distribution system in several ways, by evaporation,
unwanted wetting of banks of delivery ditches, deep percolation, seepage
and run-off. In sprinkler system, for example, the tendency for high
evaporation reduces irrigation efficiency. Any factor which causes loss of water
will also reduce irrigation efficiency.
 
FACTORS INFLUENCING IRRIGATION EFFICIENCY

 
Ways of minimizing the loss of irrigation water
 These losses can be minimized by:
• Adequate planning of the irrigation system.
• Proper design of the irrigation method.
• Proper land preparation.
• Efficient operation of the system.
CROPS RESPONSE TO MOISTURE LEVEL AT DIFFERENT STAGES
OF GROWTH

The term critical stage is commonly used to define the stage of growth when
plants are most sensitive to water shortage.

Each crop has certain critical stages at which, if there is a shortage of moisture,
yield is reduced drastically. Therefore, when there is a shortage of water, it is
better to take care of the critical stages first to obtain increased water use
efficiency.
CRITICAL STAGES OF CROP GROWTH IN RELATION TO
MOISTURE AVAILABILITY

Crop Critical periods

Wheat Crown root initiation, heading, flowering, and grain

formation

Rice Tillering, heading and flowering

Maize Early vegetative stage, Flowering, and milk ripe

stage, i.e. tassel ling to hard- dough stages

Sorghum Seedling, Booting to heading stage

Groundnuts Flowering and pod development

Cotton Start of flowering and during boll development

SORGHUM
METHODS OF IRRIGATION
METHODS OF APPLYING WATER

surface irrigation
sub-surface irrigation
drip irrigation
Overhead irrigation (Sprinkler irrigation)
METHODS OF APPLYING WATER

Surface irrigation
 water is applied directly to the soil surface
from a channel located at the upper reach of
the field.
 Highly efficient irrigation can be
achieved in surface methods by an
appropriate combination of the size of the
irrigation stream, the size, shape and slope
of the irrigation bed, the infiltration rate of
the soil and plant population.
METHODS OF APPLYING WATER

Surface irrigation

CHECK BASIN METHOD BORDER STRIP METHOD

METHODS OF APPLYING WATER

Surface irrigation

FURROW IRRIGATION
SURFACE IRRIGATION

Surface irrigation could be made more efficient by observing the following

 The water distribution system should be properly constructed to provide adequate control of water to the fields.
 
 The land should be well prepared to permit the uniform distribution of water over the fields.
 
 Fine textured soils with low infiltration rate require smaller streams to avoid excessive losses due to run-off at
the downstream end and deep percolation at the lower reaches.
 
 Coarse-textured soils with high infiltration rates require larger streams to spread over the entire strip rapidly
and avoid excessive losses due to percolation at the upper ridges.
SURFACE IRRIGATION

Advantages of surface irrigation

1.Adaptability: Surface irrigation can be used on nearly all types of soil and crops. The system can be designed to accommodate a
wide range of stream sizes and still maintain high water application efficiency.

2.Flexibility: Surface irrigation systems permit ample latitude to meet emergencies. The capacity of surface system is efficient to
permit an entire farm to be irrigated in a small time period.

3.Economy: It is usually inexpensive to operate because of low power requirements. Water is usually applied directly to the farmland
by gravity flow from the irrigation projects canals and laterals. Where water is pumped from wells, rivers, storage reservoirs or other
sources of supply, only enough power to raise the water slightly above the land surface to be irrigated is needed.
Sub-irrigation

Water is applied below the water surface by developing or maintaining a water

table that allows water move up through the root zone by capillary action.

May be introduced into the soil profile through open ditches, mole drains, or
pipe drains

METHODS OF APPLYING WATER

Open ditch method is the most
widely used. Water table
maintenance is suitable where
the soil in the plant root zone is
quite permeable and there is
either a continuously
impermeable layer or a natural
water table below the root zone.

OPEN DITCH
MOLE DRAIN PIPE DRAINS
METHODS OF APPLYING WATER

Types of subsurface irrigation

1.Open ditches system. It is most widely used sub-surface system. Feeder ditches are excavated on the
contour and spaced close enough to ensure control of water table. They are connected to a supply ditch
that runs down the predominant field slope and has control structure as needed to maintain the desired
water level in the feeder ditches. The lower ends are connected by an outlet tile which is used to carry
excess irrigation water and storm water to a satisfactory outlet.
 
2.Perforated tubes. (Drip irrigation). Water is pumped through these tubes under a low pressure
and it oozes out through the numerous tiny holes to supply the roots. At this slow rate of application,
water percolates immediately downwards and sideways into the soil.
 Advantages of drip irrigation
i.There is considerable saving in water by adopting this method since the water can be
applied almost precisely to the root zone and there is no need to wet the entire area
between the crops.

ii.It permits the application of fertilizer through the system.

iii.It minimizes such conventional losses as deep percolation, run-off and soil water
evaporation.

iv.The system has a greater advantage over other sub-surface irrigation systems because
it is easily laid down and can be removed at any time after the crop has been harvested.
 Disadvantages of subsurface irrigation

i.Subsurface irrigation tends to cause salt accumulation in the root zone.

ii.Requires a more complex combination of physical conditions not readily
found in nature.
iii.Drainage and leaching practices must be more intensive to assure adequate
salinity control.
iv.It is expensive and should be used only for high-value crops.
3. Sprinkler Irrigation
It is a network of tubing or pipes with sprinkler heads or nozzles attached for spraying water
over the land surface.

May be classified depends on upon the way the system is installed and operated . It can be
permanent, semi-permanent or portable.

In this method, the irrigation water is applied to the crop above the ground surface in the form of
spray. A sprinkler irrigation system consists of a pump to develop the desired operating pressure and
main lines, laterals and risers to convey the water. Sprinkler head or nozzles discharge the water in the
form of spray. For sprinkler irrigation, the water must be clean and free of sand, debris and large
amounts of dissolved salts and a stable supply of water must always be available.
Factors to consider when selecting a sprinkler

-The sprinkler should have a capacity to meet the water requirements of the crop.

-Should apply water at a rate that does not exceed the minimum intake rate of the soil.

-The sprinkler should be able to apply water with some minimum economic uniformity.

-Should minimise the total annual cost of irrigation.

-Produce a crop that economically justifies the use of the system.

Types of sprinkler system

1.Rotating sprinkler heads are spaced equally along the lateral lines. The lateral lines remain
in one place until required amount of water has been applied and are moved the same distance
for each successive setting.

2.Perforated pipes: water is pumped through very small, closely spaced orifices in the pipe.
These perforated pipes form the lateral lines and provide fairly uniform distribution along both
sides of the pipe.
Suitability of sprinkler system

1.Sprinkler irrigation is both technically and economically very suitable for terrain that
is too uneven for surface irrigation, as well as for sandy soils.

2.This method can be used for nearly all crops except rice.

3.It is not suitable for heavy clay soils where the infiltration rate is very low.
Advantages of sprinkler system
i.Soluble fertilisers, herbicides and fungicides can be applied to the irrigation water economically.
ii.It is used to protect crops against frost or high temperatures that reduce the quality and quantity of the
produce.
iii.Water application can be more uniform and carried out with greater precision with sprinkler system than
with surface irrigation, except during times of high wind.
iv.Water use efficiency is also greater with sprinkler irrigation.
v.Sprinkler during the hot hours of the day may improve the micro- climate, prevent transient wilting, and
increase stomatal opening and thereby improving the photosynthetic effectiveness.
vi.The elimination of the field ditches required for surface irrigation increases the net area available for crop
production and reduces water losses to seepage and percolation.
vii.This method does not interfere with the movement of farm machinery
Disadvantage of sprinkler system

i.The capital investment for equipment is relatively high.

ii.Water loss due to evaporation and the interception of water by the foliage
is greater with sprinklers than with surface irrigation method.
!
THANK YOU!
ANSWER KEY

 1. A
 2.A  11. B
 1. Leaching
 3.C  12.A 21. C  11. Water Requitrement
 2. Salinization
 4. C  13. B 22. A  12. Evapotranspiration
 3. Infiltration
 14. A  13. Evapo-transpirartion
 5. A 23. A  4. Deep Percolation
 6. A  15. A
24. D  5. Water Table  Run-off
 7. D  16. B
25. A  6. Vadose zone  Deep percolation
 8.B.  17. B
 7. Capillary action  Wind run-off
 9.C  18. A
 8.Furrow  seepage
 10. A  19 C
 9. Border Irrigation
 20. C
 10. Basin