What is Drip Irrigation? Drip Water Pump Selection
Drip irrigation is a micro-irrigation system that allows water to drip slowly onto plant roots, either above the soil surface or buried below the surface. Click drip water pump selection.
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An irrigation system, sometimes called micro-irrigation or drip irrigation, consists of a network of pipes, pipe valves and drippers. Drip irrigation is defined as any irrigation system that gradually delivers a slow-moving water supply directly into the soil.
Drip irrigation offers many great benefits including water and energy conservation, saving you money on energy and water bills, increased plant health and design flexibility. It is becoming increasingly popular and is considered one of the most efficient methods of irrigation.
What are the Benefits of Drip Irrigation System?
- Better Plant Health:Water penetrates slowly and deeply into the soil, placing moisture exactly where it is needed, at the roots. Plants grow quickly because they are watered uniformly without the stress created by lack of water.
- Less Waste Water: It uses a quarter of the amount of water used by traditional overhead sprinklers. While 70% of the water used by sprinklers is irrigated, 30% is lost to wind and evaporation. A good system directs 90% of the water into the soil and there is little loss to evaporation.
- Environmental Benefits: Since drip irrigation is efficient, it prevents unnecessary water waste. It requires less water than other irrigation methods. Approximately 40-80 liters of water is needed per day for 100-200 root plants.
- Reduces the Risk of Plant Diseases: Unlike overhead sprinklers, it keeps the leaves dry, thus reducing the incidence of powdery mildew and other diseases that occur in humid conditions.
- Saves Time: With drip irrigation there is no need to constantly drag hoses and sprinklers from one point to another. In addition, many irrigation kits make it easy to set up a timer, providing a level of automation that makes watering more convenient.
- Simple to Use : Installation, assembly and use are very simple. Once you install it, you can use it easily for many years.
Advantages and disadvantages of drip irrigation systems…
| High water application efficiency and low labor costs | Expensive initial cost may be more than overhead (commercial system) |
| Reduced fertilizer/nutrient loss due to localized application and reduced leaching | The sun can affect the tubes used and shorten their lifespan |
| Ability to irrigate irregularly shaped areas. Leveling of the area is not necessary | If water is not properly filtered and equipment is not properly maintained, it can cause blockage |
| Ensures safe use of recycled (waste) water | If herbicides or top dressed fertilizers need to be irrigated without sprinkling for activation, it is insufficient |
| Moisture in the root zone can be maintained at field capacity and soil erosion can be minimized Soil type plays a less important role in irrigation frequency | Water, time and harvest waste if not properly installed |
| Highly homogeneous water distribution, i.e. controlled by the output of each nozzle | The systems require careful examination of all relevant factors such as soil topography, soil, water, crop and agro-climatic conditions and the suitability of the system and its components. |
| It is usually operated at lower pressure than other types of pressurized irrigation, which reduces energy costs | Without adequate leaching (most drip systems are designed for high efficiency, with little or no leaching fraction), salts applied to irrigation water can accumulate in the root zone |
What is the Working Principle of Drip Irrigation System?
Commercial Drip Irrigation Systems
Expensive commercial drip irrigation systems are used in highly technical and industrial agriculture. The systems used are very expensive and require specialized design and maintenance.
Most large systems use some form of filter to prevent the small emitter flow path from becoming clogged by small water-borne particles. Water filters are recommended to minimize clogging.
Some residential systems are installed without additional filters, because the drinking water is already filtered in the water treatment plant. Almost all equipment manufacturers recommend the use of filters and will often not honor warranties if this is not done.
Small Scale and Self-Drip Irrigation Systems
For a relatively low initial investment, a small-scale farmer can buy a drip irrigation system and install it himself. If used to grow crops for market, this investment will pay for itself in the first season.
Apply the right design (which may require training of farmers), very simple drip systems can be installed with locally available materials.
Anyone can set up a very efficient irrigation system using buckets or barrels as water reservoirs and bamboo or PVC pipes as distribution pipes. If wastewater is used, a filtration unit is recommended after the treatment plant to avoid clogging of the emitters.
Design of a Simple Drip Irrigation System
A simple drip irrigation system can consist of a 20-liter bucket with 30 meters of hose or drip tape connected to the bottom of the tank.
The bucket is placed at least 1 meter from the ground so that gravity provides enough water pressure to ensure that the entire crop is irrigated.
Every day clean water is poured into the bucket through a filter/strainer. The water in the bucket fills the drip tape and is evenly distributed to 100 watering points.
A multi-chamber plastic drip tape is designed to distribute water through holes drilled 30 cm (12 in) apart. The bucket set is the smallest drip irrigation technique.
Drip Water Pump Selection System Cost
Commercial systems for industrial production are very expensive. Small-scale farmers can purchase a drip irrigation system for relatively low initial costs. In general, it is more costly than manual irrigation, but increased yields will reduce water operating costs.
For small gardens 50 M. perforated drip irrigation system drip pipe ready sets are available at affordable prices. Prices will increase as the meter increases.
Drip irrigation systems generally operate with lower operating pressure than other pressurized irrigation systems. This pressure usually varies between 0.8 and 1.5 atmospheres.
When a faucet is running at a normal pressure, it flows an average of 14-16 liters of water per minute. This means a consumption of approximately 840-960 liters of water per hour.
Here, assuming that there are 50 drip heads considering the farthest distance, a pump that can deliver 15 L x 50 = 750 Lt of water will do the job.
These ready-made sets include a drip pipe, valve, nipple, tee, elbow, stopper and fixing stake. You can use barrels or plastic water tanks with the pipes. Since drip irrigation consumes little water, 100-liter plastic tanks will do the trick.
However, if you are considering this type of irrigation system for agricultural activities, your costs can triple. You may need to provide irrigation pumps along with pipes and tanks. But after the first harvest, it will be cost-effective.
Every need has a different solution. Agricultural irrigation methods will therefore also differ. For other agricultural irrigation methods , you can read our article
Maintenance and Repair of Drip Irrigation Systems
- If you are using a drip hose system that you have installed in the past, we recommend that you periodically remove the drip hose so that leaves, soil and debris do not cover the hose.
- If the drip hose is not removed, roots can grow over the hose, attach to the ground and eventually cut off the water flow.
- Unexpected leaks in hoses can occur as a result of leakage, damage by animals or agricultural implements. Systematically monitor the lines for physical damage. It is important to fix holes as soon as possible to avoid irregular irrigation.
- If the water flow rate gradually decreases throughout the season, the tubes or tape may become clogged, which can cause serious crop damage. Once a month, flush the drip lines by opening the far ends of some of the tubes and allowing them to flush out any sediment that has accumulated in the hoses.
To summarize briefly
| Principle of operation | With drip irrigation, water is transported under pressure through a piping system to areas where it slowly drips into the soil through emitters or drippers located near the plants. |
| Capacity / adequacy | It can be applied to almost any crop forecast, especially in arid, dry areas. |
| Performance | High |
| Costs | Commercial systems for industrial production are very expensive. Small-scale or self-built systems are cheap |
| Self-help Compatibility | Expert design is required for commercial systems. Small-scale drip systems can be operated by trained farmers. |
| Operation and Maintenance | Flush the pipe system once a month to prevent clogging and check that the pipes are not covered by soil/vegetation or damaged. |
| Reliability | It is very reliable when used and maintained well. |
| Strengths | High water application efficiency. |
| Weaknesses | Due to the high risk of clogging, the water must be well settled and free of particles. |
I hope this information has been useful. You can get technical support and information about the equipment and irrigation pumps you will use in drip irrigation systems by contacting us at whatsapp: +905495413607.
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