Posts Tagged irrigation system

Maintenance of Drip Irrigation Systems

Agricultural practices have refined in last few years. People have broader idea about getting fruitful results out of their investment on the lands. One can ensure effective growth of plant only if the plant or whole plantation is administered with good irrigation facilities. These facilities can be helpful in providing useful gains for the farmers. By far technological advancements have gathered minds of farmers to render useful ideas into planned actions. These technological advancements can be adjudged with useful application in day-to-day life.

Importance of irrigation system

Irrigation plays a vital role in the modern day agriculture. The root tips are in search of water when they travel down inside the ground. These can be ably supported by irrigation administered by the cultivators. The irrigation methods are of varied types that are available for cultivators. Starting from drip irrigation to center pivot irrigation. Some of irrigation methods take care of all the necessary topological features that prevail in particular land. The contour of surface changes from place to place. It is quite evident that it can affect watering scheme adopted by the farmers. But this would be justified by the amount of water needed. Some crops would need large supply of water to be supplied to root tips.

Irrigation facilities promised by drip irrigation

Drip irrigation is one of the popular methods adopted by the farmers all over the world. This method could bestow useful irrigation to the crops that are planted. Drip irrigation is preferred in the gardens. The gardens that are small can be well sheltered under effective watering through drip irrigation scheme. Also some watering scheme require some additional components such as tubing that can add to the cost of establishment of watering facility. This can be cashing for the farmers initially but with effective maintenance it can fetch huge profits on long run. Drip irrigation also ensures correct level of moisture that is to be maintained around the root tips. Any variation in this can cause adverse effects on the plant.

Drip irrigations systems – Components

Drip irrigation involves use of valuable wit to design the overall plan of the system. The system includes tubing and piping needs to be satisfied before going for commissioning of irrigation system. There are several components that form integral part of drip irrigation systems. Also one needs to ensure proper design of irrigation systems can be employed to facilitate moisture monitoring. The shoot system of the plant needs supply of water and other nutrients through root. The watering of plants at optimum level ensures proper supply of nourishments for the development of crop into sizeable yielding. Special simulation software is available to map all the essential failure nodes that can lead to drastic changes in the irrigation channel. Hence it is advisable to use that software to clear out all the loopholes present in irrigation channel.

Effective maintenance of irrigation systems

Maintenance of irrigation system largely depends on the design of irrigation system. The maintenance of the drip irrigation system involves series of actions that can ensure proper working of overall system. Subsurface drip watering schemes are widely used by the farmers pertaining to different parts of world to irrigate the lawns. These can be effectively monitored for pressure inside the channel. This pressure if not checked periodically can institute massive technical failures for the entire irrigation system. People can seek expert advice to have proper maintenance. The tubing can be checked for correctness periodically to eliminate water leakage. The inlet and outlet nozzle can be cleared off from dust and mud in order to have proper entry and exit of water inside the whole watering system.

Leave a Comment

Irrigation System – Winterized

One can winterize the present irrigation system. There are several simple steps to follow. The main valve can be turned off and the water flow can be controlled which flow to the irrigation system. There are several settings in the automatic irrigation controller and we can set it to “rain “settings for effective results. There are several valves present in the pipes. Just turn on the valves so that the pressure from the pipe is released. There are certain irrigation components which may freeze due to substantial circumstances. Draining water from such components will earn better productive results.

Locations of the irrigation system:

Based on the location of the irrigation system one can winterize the irrigation system. One is winterization of irrigation system during temperate climate and another is winterization of the irrigation system during cold climate. In the temperate climate zone usually substances do not freeze very often. Even if there is heavy snow in that particular area the snow melts off very quickly. There is no necessity to insulate the water pipes kept outside houses as it does not freeze very quickly. In this zone the water flow to the irrigation system is shut and an important factor is that the main shut off valve from where water flows to the irrigation system should be freeze-proof.

Steps to avoid freezing:

It would become a problem if the main shut off valve is not freeze proof and one should see that the valve does not break due to freezing. In case of an automatic system the timer should be shut off so that lot of electricity can be saved. The power given to the controller can be shut off as an alternative. There are chances for the pump to get damaged while shutting the controller off. The gear drive rotor sprinkler could freeze the water, so the water can be drained by using a drain valve installed in the pipe where water flows to the irrigation system. An alternative is that the rotor can be removed and water can be drained out to avoid freezing. The pipes can be insulated by sticking the foam insulating tapes above the ground pipes.

Insulation:

The air vents and backflow preventers should not be blocked. The best way to do this is to insulate the valve or backflow preventers using R-11 fiberglass. Heavy plastic bags provide an important means of insulation and that can be wrapped around the valves and backflow preventers. One should see that the air flow is provided in the plastic bags and it does not get wet to enable a permanent insulator. Since it is permanent one need not worry about changing the insulators very often as they will survive for a longer period.

Usage of compressors:

The scenario in the cold climate is totally different and one has to take considerate measures to protect the irrigation system. As told above the main valve should be closed and the timer should be shut off to gain electricity which greatly depends on the controller used whether it is mechanical or solid-state controller. The valves in the pipe should be removed and the water in the pipes should be drained or heating cables can be placed upon the valves and these heating cables are insulated. To blow water from the pipes special drain valves are used. The drain valve is installed in both high point and low points in the pipes and the valves can be put in an accessible box and the locations can be writer over box to avoid getting strangled in this climate. The water should be completely blown out and so making use of a compressor is a very good choice. Do not close the valves while compressor is running. When the blowing process is finished the controller is set to the “rain mode”.

Leave a Comment

Farmers Irrigation

Importance of irrigation for farmers

Water to crops is equally necessary compare to the food for humans. Crops convert the water and the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for converting into the glucose which is available in the form of seed and granules in the crops. Hence if we need to have a good crop cultivation then it is very important that you provide a good irrigation system to the fields so that the crops get enough amount of water to convert them to starch and glucose. A good irrigation system provides water to all the plants in the fields. The best irrigation system should distribute equal amount of water to all the crops. No crop should get les amount and no crop should get more amount of water. As if a crop is provided with more amount of water then they many lead to soil erosion and the crop may not have nutrients in the soil to grow, thus limiting the productivity of the field.

Some methods of irrigation by farmers

Water is distributed by either using power or just simply by means of gravity. The water is distributed by gravity automatically thus requiring no external power. This type of method is mainly used in hilly terrains where the terrain is inclined in nature thus giving way for automatic powerless irrigation. Some other innovative thinking has lead to another type of irrigation called as the drip irrigation in which water is injected directly into the root part of the plant so that they can absorb the water in very less time and hence can produce the crops in a very fast manner. This can also be added with the injection of water and fertilizers and other essential nutrients into the roots of the plants directly as if the fertilizers are sprayed in the soil then there is very less chance for the plants to absorb the fertilizers.

Disadvantages in irrigation system for farmers

Gravity cannot be used in very inclined regions as they can cause large amount of soil erosion that too in a particular piece of land. Also it will be difficult to cultivate crops and harvest them in inclined placed. They might cause fatigue to the farmers who harvest them. The disadvantage in the drip irrigation system is that the initial cost becomes too high that it can not be implemented by poor farmers. This can also be implemented only over a large piece of agricultural land.

Article Summary: Although there are many techniques which are used to cultivate crops in large quantities, the demand is still high than the produced goods. The farmers are developing more and more irrigation systems to cope up with the increase in the demand for the food supplies and the crop cultivation.

Resource Box Info: This article describes various irrigation process followed by the farmers in a place where the annual rainfall is usually less compared to other place in the country.  You can visit the following site to get more information about the irrigation systems of the farmers http://agricultureguide.org/agriculture/irrigation/ .

Leave a Comment

Center Pivot Sprinkler

Unmanned irrigation Systems

Center pivot sprinkler are the latest trends that has developed in the irrigation system in a very great manner. These irrigation systems are operated without a man. These center pivot sprinkler are the systems which work based on the timer that is pre loaded in its circuit which helps it to sprinkle daily at a particular time in the day and in the evening. This ensures that no crop gets dried because of the lack of water supply to them. This also maintains the productivity of the crops in a field. This type of irrigation systems are used in fields which are basically round in shape.

Center Pivot Sprinkler

In this type of irrigation system the sprinklers spray the water from a huge nozzle that is mounted on a center pivot through which a pipe runs through. This pipe carries water through it. Some fields also add some fertilizers which are water soluble and they are sprayed in the fields directly. There are many advantages in this type of irrigation system. Some of the systems also use the moisture and temperature sensors of the environment and in the sand. By sensing these parameters the computer system embedded in the irrigation system could come to know when and where to irrigate, thus controlling the parameters and the health of the crop that is produced in the field.

Disadvantages of Center Pivot Sprinkler

Any system in the world will have both advantages and the disadvantages in it. This holds good for center pivot sprinkler also. Some of the disadvantages of the sprinkler are that this is not suitable to irrigate a large field which is in a shape of a rectangle or a square. This is because the sprinkling takes place in a circular area only. Hence if you have a square field then the corners of the field will not be sprinkled thus causing malnutrition and maldistribution. And another disadvantage in this system is that some of the water and the fertilizers that are sprayed after atomizing are sometimes carried away by the wind if the crop field is situated in a windy region. These may again lead to improper distribution of the water and the fertilizers to the crops. Also there are more chances of these atomized particles to evaporate into the atmosphere hence loss of water directly and fertilizers in a very large amount.

Article Summary: The circular shape of the irrigation system can also lead to less cultivable area and the maintenance cost for this type of irrigation system is also very high compared to the conventional type of irrigation system.

Resource Box Info: One can visit the following website to get the cost of the equipment of the centre pivot sprinkler http://www.agricultureguide.org/.

Leave a Comment

Irrigation Sprinkler Heads

Advancements in the field of manufacturing have brought in special devices that can replace conventional irrigation systems. Conventional irrigation involves wastage of water with poor water productivity exhibited. Also these irrigation systems have limited range that can be achieved. Also flexibility in conventional irrigation systems is totally absent. All these have paved way for entry of new type of irrigation system named sprinkler head irrigation systems.

An overview of irrigation sprinkler heads

Sprinkler heads are component of irrigation systems that tend to irrigate land by sprinkling action. This sprinkling action is achieved by powering water through small nozzles. The irrigation obtained through sprinkler heads is flexible. It can have better reach compared to other irrigation system. Precision machining has also improved the durability of sprinkler heads appreciably making it useful for sufficient duration of time.

Types of sprinkler heads

There are several types of sprinkler heads that are employed to different types of application. The selection of a specific sprinkler head is dependent on the dimensions of the cultivable land.

  • Tripod type sprinklers

Tripod type of sprinklers is present with stand that facilitates the use of sprinklers to be positioned at particular direction. The direction can also be varied by actuating controls of tripod. Mechanical linkages are present to move them manually. The hose or tubing can be attached to the sprinkler head at specific location.

  • Pop up sprinkler heads

Pop up type sprinklers is popular among all the cultivators present all over the world. The water is sprayed to longer distance at particular pressure. Thus longer reach can be achieved. Different types of nozzles are available to cater all the range of land. These are placed on the surface of ground and water supply can be connected to them with suitable hose.

  • Rotor type sprinklers

Rotor type sprinkler heads are available in commercial market. These rotor sprinklers are used to irrigate all around the land. The reach can be talked based on the angle covered by the heads. Certain designs can have longer reach as well as better angular cover all around the land.

Article Summary:

Sprinkler head irrigation systems can be utilized to irrigate large range of cultivable land. The design of sprinkler heads differs based on the application of irrigation system to particular land. There are different types of sprinkler heads that are employed in regular agricultural practice namely rotor type sprinklers and pop up spray sprinklers.

Resource Box Info: This page discusses about usefulness of sprinkler heads in agriculture practice. Irrigation using sprinkler heads are discussed briefly here. One can visit http://www.agricultureguide.org/ to obtain some more information regarding the topic. Also details about other irrigation systems can also be acquired from the website.

Comments (2)

Center Pivot Irrigation

Agriculture practices have diversified simultaneously with the progress in the field of science and technology. Newer ways in agricultural practices are developed by the researches that are conducted based on the people’s requirement placed before the scientific fraternity. General exploration of land has brought in special type of terrains to be cultivated. These unique terrains require different kinds of irrigation technique to be employed. Also based on varied irrigation practices, the crops can be cultivated in small production or large-scale production. Irrigation techniques differ based on the type of land that is to be cultivated with prominent environment conditions. Based on the amount of water source present and sophistication infused by advancements, one can use numerous special irrigation systems. Of them, center pivot irrigation system is also popular among all countries in the world.

What is center pivot irrigation?

Center pivot irrigation includes unique machine that transports water in circular patterns in order to cover up all the field area. The area of filed covered by center pivot irrigation is largely dependent on the length of machine employed. Also it can be utilized to cover up several hectares of land to be irrigated within short interval of time. Some of salient features of center pivot irrigation can be discussed with some brief note over the construction of the center pivot irrigation machine. The irrigation machine tends to provide proper supply of water throughout the field. The construction details show that hydraulic actuators that are present initiate the movement of the machine. The tubing used for the manufacture of machine can be aluminum.

Pros and cons of center pivot irrigation

There are several advantages and disadvantages associated with the development of center pivot irrigation method in regular agricultural practice. One can witness high initial cost to be spent by the farmer. Also the maintenance cost of the machine could be cashing for the farmers. This can be compensated with the large-scale production of crops. The main advantage of the center pivot irrigation system is that it can be used to irrigate long distance with only limitation that surface topography should be flat.

Article Summary:

Center pivot irrigation is unique irrigation methodology employed to irrigate crops in circles. The land is covered by circular pattern irrigation obtained by transferring pivot machine that supplies water through rotary motion. This kind of irrigation is also termed as overhead type sprinkler irrigation. The area that is irrigated is dependent on the total reach of segments of tubing available over the machine.

Resource Box Info: This page  provides information regarding the use of center pivot irrigation system in regular irrigation practice. Also some practical knowledge about application of this irrigation system has been discussed. For some details about this topic one can read through pages at http://www.agricultureguide.org/.

Leave a Comment

Drip Irrigation Systems vs Other Irrigation Systems

The drip irrigation is employed for the cultivation of variety of crops such as melon plants. Since only optimum moisture level is to be maintained within cultivation land, one can adopt drip irrigation. For plants like melon family need only less amount of water, drip irrigation can be handful. Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a Comment