CHAPTER THREE:

IRRIGATION APPLICATION METHODS AND DESIGN

Irrigation Application Methods

Surface Irrigation Pressurized Irrigation

Basin Irrigation Border Irrigation Sprinkler Irrigation Trickle Irrigation

Furrow Irrigation
Selection of Irrigation Method
Some of the considerations in selection:
 Compatibility of the system
E.g. Surface irrigation –good land preparation
Sprinkler and drip – require Low Land preparation
 Economic considerations
E.g. Surface irrigation –low initial investment
Sprinkler and drip – high initial investment
 Topographic limitations
E.g. Surface irrigation –limited to 2 to 6% slope
Sprinkler system – can be used up to 20% slope
 Soil Characteristics
E.g. Surface irrigation –best suited on clay and loam soils
Sprinkler system – best suited on loam and sandy soils
 Water source – quality and quantity
E.g. Surface irrigation – requires large quantity of water
Drip system – requires small quantity

 Crop factors: economic-value, salt tolerance, etc.

E.g. Drip system – usually high value crops

 External influences – e.g. politics

 Surface irrigation
 Surface irrigation refers to a broad class of irrigation
methods.
 Basin irrigation
 Border irrigation
 Furrow irrigation
 Here, water is distributed over the field by gravity.
 A flow is introduced at a high point or along a high edge
of the field and is allowed to cover the field by overland
flow.
General characteristics of Surface Irrigation:
advantage:
 Old-age method
 the most extensively used method worldwide
 water application is directly on the soil surface
 Requires relatively minimal capital investment
 doesn’t require complicated and expensive equipment
 Energy costs are substantially lower

disadvantage:
 Labor requirements is relatively high
 Operation and maintenance costs are high
 Relatively inefficient method
 Limited to land already having small and even slopes
 entirely practiced where water is abundant.
 More affected by water logging and salinity problems
 Land leveling costs are high
 Basin Irrigation
Definition:
 It involves dividing the field into a number of small strips of land called
basins.
 Each basin is a level area of land surrounded by earth bunds in which
water can be pounded until it infiltrates in to the soil.
 It is good for water loving crops such as rice.
 Border Irrigation
Definition:
 Borders are very similar to basins.
 Here, the land is divided into strips (border) by parallel small earth
bunds called border ridges.

 In a border irrigation, each strip is irrigated separately by introducing

water upstream and it progressively covers the entire strip.

 Borders are different from basins into two important differences:

 Borders slope uniformly away from the farm channel.
 A uniform distribution of water is obtained by using a small
stream size.

 Border irrigation is suited for crops that can withstand flooding for a
short time e.g. wheat.
Border Irrigation System
 Furrow Irrigation
Definition:
 Furrow irrigation is the most widely used method worldwide for
irrigating row crops.
 In furrow irrigation, water no longer flows over the entire soil surface
but is confined to small channels (furrows) between the crop rows. It
is then gradually absorbed into the bottom and sides of the furrow to
wet the soil.
 Most row crops such as vegetables, cotton, sugar beet and potatoes