IRRIGATION ENGINEERING

Course Instructor: Engr. Arif Asghar Gopang

 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lecture students will be able:

 To describe the crop seasons and irrigation efficiencies

 To describe consumptive use and its estimation by
Blaney Criddle Equation

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 CROP SEASONS
There are two major cropping seasons:

1) Rabi season
2) Kharif season

1) Rabi season
o Normally, this season starts from 1st October and ends on

31st March. This date is not fixed, so it may vary from 1 to

3 months.
o The crops grown in this season are wheat, barley, gram,

potatoes, etc.
o Rabi crops are also called winter crops. 3
 CROP SEASONS

2) Kharif season
Normally, this season starts from 1st April and ends on 30th
September.
The crops grown in this season are rice, bajra, jowar, maize,
cotton, tobacco, groundnut, etc.
Kharif crops are also called summer crops.

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 IRRIGATION
EFFICIENCIES
 Water Conveyance Efficiency ()
It is the ratio of water delivered into the fields from the
outlet of the channel to the water entering into the channel
at its starting point.
It takes into consideration the conveyance or transit losses.

 Water Application Efficiency ()

It is the ratio of quantity of water stored into the root zone
of the crops to the quantity of water actually delivered into
the field.
It may also called on farm efficiency. 5
  Water Storage Efficiency ()

It is the ratio of water stored in the root zone of the crop

during irrigation to the water needed in the root zone to
bring it to the field capacity.

 Water Use Efficiency ()

It is the ratio of water beneficially used including leaching

water to the quantity of water delivered into the field.
OR, it is the ratio between effective use of water and actual
water withdrawn from the source of water.
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 Consumptive Use or Evapotranspiration
o Evapotranspiration is the summation of evaporation from the
land and transpiration from the plants.
o Consumptive use or evapotranspiration is the total amount of
water used by the plant in transpiration and evaporation
process.
o The climatic factors affecting consumptive use are
temperature, sunlight, humidity, wind movement, etc.

Effective Rainfall (Re)

Rainfall falling during the growing period of a crop that is

available to meet the evapotranspiration needs of a crop is
called effective rainfall. 7
 Consumptive Irrigation Requirement (CIR)
  It is the amount of irrigation water needed to meet the
evapotranspiration needs of the crop during its full growth. It
does not include effective rainfall (Re)
CIR = CuRe

Net Irrigation Requirement (NIR)

  It is the amount of irrigation water needed to meet the
evapotranspiration needs of the crops as well as other needs
such as leaching.
NIR = Cu Re leaching water

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Example 02: The following table gives the values of

Monday 1/18/2016
consumptive use and effective rainfall shown against them,
for a Jowar crop. The growth period is from 16th October to
2nd February (110 days).
Determine the net irrigation requirement of this crop,
assuming that water is not required for any other purpose
except that of fulfilling the evapotranspiration needs of the
crop.

Dates Cu (mm) Re (mm)

(1) (2) (3)
October 16-31 37 30.8
November 1-30 84.2 20.4
December 1-31 154.9 6.7
January 1-31 188.1 2.4
February 1-2 13.3 1 9
Solution: As we know that net irrigation requirement (NIR) is
consumptive use minus effective rainfall.
Hence, CIR = Cu-Re

Dates Cu Re NIR = Cu-Re

(1) (2) (3) (4)
October 16-31 37 30.8 6.2
November 1-30 84.2 20.4 63.8
December 1-31 154.9 6.7 148.2
January 1-31 188.1 2.4 185.7
February 1-2 13.3 1 12.3
𝜮 = 416.2 mm or 41.62 cm

Hence, the net irrigation requirement (NIR) is 41.62 cm 10

 ESTIMATION OF
CONSUMPTIVE USE
There are various methods to estimate consumptive use.

Blaney-Criddle Formula
  It calculates the monthly consumptive use by the following
formula.

Cu = [
Cu = k. 𝜮 f
Where f = [1.8t+32]
Where;
K = crop factor, t = mean temperature in °C, p = monthly
percent of day light hours 11
 Example 03: Wheat is to be at a certain place, the useful
climatological conditions of which are tabulated below.
Determine the evapotranspiration and consumptive irrigation
requirement of wheat crop. Also determine the field irrigation
requirement if the water application efficiency is 80%. Make use of
Blaney Criddle equation and a crop factor equal to 0.8.
Month Monthly Monthly Usefull
(1) temp in °C percent of rainfall in
averaged day time cm, averaged
over the five hours of the over the last
years year 5 years

(1) (2) (3) (4)

November 18.0 7.2 1.7
December 15.0 7.15 1.42
January 13.50 7.30 3.01
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February 14.50 7.1 2.25
 Solution: Blaney Criddle Equation is given by
Cu = k. 𝜮 f where f = (1.8t+32)

Month T P Re F = (1.8t+32)
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
November 18.00 7.20 1.70 11.6
November 18.00 7.20 1.70 11.6
December 15.00 7.15 1.42 10.5
December 15.00 7.15 1.42 10.5
January 13.50 7.30 3.01 10.3
January 13.50 7.30 3.01 10.3
February 14.50 7.10 2.25 10.3
February 14.50 7.10 2.25
𝜮 = 8.38 cm 10.3
𝜮 = 42.7 cm
𝜮 = 8.38 cm 𝜮 = 42.7 cm

  Cu = k. 𝜮 f
= 0.8
13
= 34.16 cm
 

Hence, consumptive use Cu = 34.16 cm

CIR = Cu – Re
CIR = 34.16 – 8.38
= 25.78 cm
Field Irrigation requirement = CIR/
FIR = 25.78/0.8
= 32.225 cm

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ANY
QUESTIONS ?
THANKS