Drip Irrigation
Designing
By: Er. Rahul Grover
Contents
Introduction
Advantages
Disadvantages
Comparison with other irrigation system
Components of drip irrigation system
Design of drip irrigation system
Design procedure
Example of designing
Benefits for farmer
Introduction
Irrigation is an artificial application of water
to the soil through various systems of tubes,
pumps, and sprays.
Irrigation is normally used in areas where
rainfall is inconsistent or dry conditions or
drought is expected.
Drip Irrigation
Drip irrigation is a micro irrigation method in
which the rate of water application is very
low and without any pressure. i.e., drop by
drop
Drip irrigation is based on the basic concept
of irrigation only the roots zone of crop ,
rather than the entire land surface on which
the crop is grow.
Water flows from the
emission points through the
soil by capillarity and gravity.
The soil moisture content of
the crop root zone is
maintain at near optimum
level to facilate optimum crop
growth and production.
ARRANGEMENT FOR DRIP
SYSTEM
Drip irrigation is useful
for crop…..
Fruit crops :
Banana, Grapes, Citrus, Pomegranate, Papaya,
Pineapple, Watermelon, Sweet lime, Mango,
Kinnow, Mosambi.
Vegetable crops :
Cabbage, Cauliflower, Okra, Tomato, Potato, Onion,
Chillis, Radish, Brinjal, Bottle grown, French been,
Capsicum, Bhindi, Beans, Baby corn, Carrots,
Cucumber, Bitter gourd, Bottle gourd, Ashgourd,
Gherkins.
Commercial crops :
Sugarcane, Cotton, Ground nut, Chickpea.
Advantages of Drip Irrigation
Less requirement of irrigation water
Water supply at optimum level.
Water logging is avoided
High yield
Over irrigation is avoided
Variation in application rate
Reduced labour cost
Weed control
Increase in net irrigable area
Highly uniform distribution of water i.e.,
Controlled by output of each nozzle No soil
erosion
Suitable for any topography
Maintenance of high surface temperature
Improved disease and pest control
Tolerance to windy atmospheric condition
Disadvantages of drip irrigation
High cost :
drip irrigation systems are expensive because of there
requirements of large quantity of piping & filtration
equipment to clean the water.
Expense:
Initial cost can be more than overhead systems.
Waste:
The sun can affect the tubes used for drip irrigation,
shortening their usable life. Longevity is variable.
Clogging:
If the water is not properly filtered and the equipment not
properly maintained, it can result in clogging.
Drip tape causes extra cleanup costs after harvest. You'll need to
plan for drip tape winding, disposal, recycling or reuse.
This method is not suitable for closely planted crops such as
wheat
Drip method Flood method
Water logging Nil High
Water control
Can be regulated easily Not much control
Cost benefit ratio Excluding water savings: 1.3 Between 1.8 and 3.9
(additional amount in - 13.3, Including water
rupees for every rupee savings: 2.8 - 30.0
invested)
Capital cost/ha Rs 15,000 to 40, 000
depending ––
on crop spacing
Yield increase 20 - 100 % higher than flood Less compared to drip
method
Components of Drip Irrigation
system
Pumping set
Filters
Mainlines
Sub-main
Laterals
Drippers/emitters
Pumping set:
To create a pressure
about 2.5 Kg/sq cm to
regulate the amount of
water to be supplied.
• Filter :
To filter the water in
Order to remove the
suspended impurities
from water.
Main lines:
It is a Distribution system in drip
irrigation. Rigid PVC and high
density polyethylene pipes are
used as main pipes to minimized
corrosion and clogging.
Pipes of 65 mm diameter and with
pressure rating of 4 to 10 kg/sq.
cm
Sub Main:
It is usually connected to the main
lines through a control valve
assembly.
The function of its to distributes
water uniformly to a number
laterals.
Drippers/emitters:
It is fitted to a drip irrigation
lateral and intended to emit
water in the form of drops or
continuous flow at emitter
rates not exceeding 15
liters/hr.
Drippers function as energy
dissipated, reducing the inlet
pressure head in the lateral,
which generally range from
0.3 to 1.5 atmosphere .
Design of Drip irrigation system
Data collection
Types of soil
Infiltration characteristics of soil
Types of crop
Consumptive use of water by crops
Water quality
Climate condition
Availability of funds
Contour map
Design procedures
Prepare on inventory of available resources &
operating conditions
Determine the water requirement to be met by the
drip system
Determine the appropriate type of system
Determine the type and design of emitters
Determine the capacity of pumping system
Decide on the economic sizes of the pumping system
Determine the maximum and minimum operating
pressure and the minimum efficiency required
Determine the appropriate filtering system
Determine the requirement of the fertilization system
Plan field evaluation
Prepare drawings, specification, cost ,schedules,
installation, operations ,maintenance.
Discharge of Drippers
q= khx
In which,
q = Discharge of the dripper, volume/time
P= operating pressure, force/area
X= constants for specified emitters
Benefits to Farmers :
More than 70% of Indian
farmers are small scale
operators cultivating plots
less than one hectare. Irratic
rainfall pattern play havoc
into the livelihoods of the
small farmers who do not
have any alternate supply of
water.
CONCLUSION
• Drip irrigation system is an economical
and very efficient system of irrigating for
vegetables, row crops etc.
• Dripirrigated crops use less water
compared to overhead irrigated crops.
• Drip irrigation increase yields
rahulgrover@[Link]
