Micro-irrigation can be adopted in all kinds of land, especially where it is not possible to effectively use flooding method for irrigation. It can be maximized with a proper design and operation of the system, although the traditional practices can only go up to 35% WUE. It is said that 40% to 80% of water can be saved using this method. Micro-irrigation can be useful in undulating terrain, rolling topography, hilly areas, barren land and areas having shallow soils.

1. Master Seminar (FSC-591)
On
Advance Techniques in Micro Irrigation System
Hritul Kumar Gautam
ID. No. : 2375
M.Sc. (Horticulture)
Department of Fruit Science
College of Horticulture
BANDA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY
BANDA (U.P.)

2. CONTENT
 Introduction
 Types of Micro Irrigation System
 Benefits of Micro Irrigation System
 Component of Micro Irrigation System
 Procedures for Designing Micro Irrigation System
 Conclusion

3. INTRODUCTION
 The concept of micro-irrigation is was firstly brought through experiment
conducted in Germany since in 1860s then in USA in 1910s.
 The micro-irrigation system is define as to distribute water as close as
possible to the root zone of the plant, in small quantity, slowly but
frequently, so that the process stays under high control.
 The advantages of micro-irrigation over conventional irrigation are
impressive. As the water is applied at the closest to the root zone there is
much less water loss through deep percolation and evaporation, hence the
water use efficiency (WUE) is much higher.

4. Types of Micro-
irrigation System
Drip Irrigation
System
Sprinkler
Irrigation System

5. Drip Irrigation System
Drip irrigation system is a method of
applying the required amount of water
directly to the root zones of plants
through drippers or emitters at frequent
intervals. In this system, water is
applied drop-by-drop or by a micro jet
on the soil surface or sub-surface at a
rate lower than the infiltration rate of
the soil.
Place emitters every 12 inches apart in
soil, and the water flow rate is 2-20
LPH.

6. Surface Drip Irrigation
Surface drip irrigation is a system that
delivers the water in small quantity, drop by
drop, to each individual plant on the field by
the means of tubes running on the open
surface of the soil.

7. Sub- Surface Drip Irrigation
Sub-surface drip irrigation is a method
of irrigating crops through buried
plastic tubes, containing embedded
emitters located at regular spacings.
These system the drip tubes are
typically located 90–220 cm apart and
15–25 cm below the soil surface.

8. Family Drip Irrigation System
Family drip or ‘gravity fed drip irrigation’
system is a low-cost system developed for
small plots. It is suitable for house
gardening. It can also be used to
demonstrate the working of drip irrigation
system.

9. In-Line Drip Irrigation
Inline drip irrigation system the drippers are fixed in
the lateral tube at designed spacings at the time of
manufacturing to meet the requirement of various
crops. It is effective for row crops like cotton,
sugarcane, groundnut, vegetables and flowering
crops.

10. On-Line Drip Irrigation
In this system, emitters or drippers are fixed
externally on the laterals at designed spacings. Thus,
the drippers can be checked and cleaned easily in
case of clogging. The dripper spacing can be
changed any time to cover the increased root zone of
a plant. Online dripper system is used in orchards,
vineyards, artificial landscapes and nurseries.

11. Bubbler Irrigation
In this system the water is applied to the soil
surface in a small stream or fountain. The discharge
rate for point source bubbler emitters is greater than
the drip. These are suitable in situations where large
amount of water need to be applied in a short
period of time and suitable for irrigating trees with
wide root zones and high water requirements.

12. Sprinkler Irrigation System
The application of water by a small spray or
mist to the soil surface, through the air. The
sprinkler irrigation is one of the pressurized
irrigation methods, in which water is sprayed
into the air and fall on the ground. The spray
of water is developed by the flow of water
under pressure through small nozzles.

13. Centre Pivot
The center pivot is capable of
irrigating most field crops. It consists
of a single sprinkler lateral supported
by a series of towers. It is anchored at
one end and rotates around a fixed
central point called ‘pivot point’. The
control panel attached to the pivot
point gives commands to the central
pivot machine.

14. Towable Pivot
Towable pivot is similar to center
pivot. But here, the pivot is towed
away by a tractor. There are 3–4
wheels in the center of the pivot, which
make it possible to move the pivot
from one place to another by pulling it
with the help of the tractor.

15. Rain-Gun
A rain gun is used as a water spray mist
or fog beam. It discharges water at less
than 175 lph. It is used to irrigate trees
and other crops separated widely. Fruit
tree crops like citric, mango, guava,
avocado, etc. can be irrigated with a rain
gun.

16. Impact Sprinkler
This sprinkler is driven in a circular motion
by the force of outgoing water, and at least,
one of its arms extends from the head. The
sprinkler arm is repeatedly pushed back into
the water stream by a spring. Impact
sprinkler is recommended for closely spaced
field crops like potato, leafy vegetables,
cotton, oilseeds, pulses, cereals, fodder
crops, etc.

17. Pop Up Sprinkler
A pop up sprinkler consists of an
inlet, body, cap, wiper seal, riser,
nozzle and radius adjustment screw.
Such a sprinkler is portable and easy
to install, thereby, making it ideal for
irrigating lawns, seasonal flowers and
planting beds.

18. Linear Move Sprinkler
Linear move sprinkler irrigation system is
similar to the center pivot system in
construction, except that neither end of the
lateral pipeline is fixed. It is composed of a
series of towers that are suspended and move
laterally in the direction of rows. The whole
line moves down the field perpendicular to the
lateral.

19. Benefits
of Micro
Irrigation
System
Higher
yield
Higher
profit
Water
saving
and WUE
Reduce
labour
cost
Suitable
for light
soil
Reduce
soil losses
Improve
crop
quality

20. Component
of Micro
Irrigation
System
Control
Head
Mainlines,
Sub Main
and
Manifolds
Laterals and
Emitter
Flushing
System

22. Control Head
• Delivers water form the source to the mainline.
• Control the amount and the pressure of water delivered, filter that water to
avoid operational problems.
• Added the fertilizer and chemical
The control head typically has following major components:
• Pumping station
• Control and monitoring devices
• Fertilizer and chemical injectors
• Filtration system

23. CONTROLAND MONITORING DEVICES
PUMPING STATION

24. The main types
of chemical
injectors are the
venturi injector,
injection pump,
and the
differential tank.
Criteria for
selecting the
proper injection
system include
cost, ease of
use/repair,
durability and
susceptibility to
corrosion.
Fertilizer and
chemical injectors
The hazard of
blocking or
clogging
necessitates the
use of filters for
efficient and
trouble free
operation of the
micro-irrigation
system.
Filtration system
This system is
tells your
sprinkler system
when to turn on
and how long the
water should
remain on before
the system shuts
down.
Control and
monitoring devices
It is required to
provide sufficient
pressure in the
system.
Centrifugal
pumps are
generally used
for low pressure
trickle systems.
Pumping station

25. Procedures for designing MI system
Type of MI system.
Select and design of emitters and
nozzle
Determine the capacity requirements
of the MI system
Required sizes of mainline pipe,
manifold and lateral lines.
Operating flow rates and pressures
Select pump and power unit
Instructions for proper layout,
operation and maintenance

26. Conclusion
From the foregoing discussion, it can be concluded that fertigation, a recently
emerged advance technique holds promise in yield maximization in wide
spaced crops viz. cash crops, fruits & vegetables and plantation crops.
Besides bumper yield in most of the crops, it realizes 20-40 % fertilizer
saving and 40-50% water saving as well as nutrient uptake and better quality
of produce. Adoption of this technique to a larger extent will not only
increase the crop yield but also the fertilizer use efficiency and quality of
produce. However, extensive efforts are required for standardization of this
technique for varying crops and conditions.

27. Water used and yield of crops in micro and conventional irrigation methods
Crop
Methods
of
irrigation
Water
% water
saving
Yield
%
increase
in yield
Water
use
efficiency
requirem
ent (cm)
kg ha-1
(kg ha
mm-1)
Banana Drip 97 45 87500 52 90.2
Surface 176 - 57500 - 32.67
Sugarcane Drip 94 56 170000 33 180.85
Furrow 215 - 128000 - 59.53
Grapes Drip 27.8 48 32500 23 116.9
Surface 53.2 - 26400 - 49.62
Papaya Drip 73.88 67.89 23490 69.47 0.32
Surface 225.8 - 13860 - 0.06
Mulberry Drip 20 60 71400 3.03 3570
Surface 50 - 69300 - 1386
Tomato Drip 18.4 39 48000 50 260.86
Surface 30 - 32000 - 106.66
(WTC Annual Reports 1985-2003)

28. Table 1. Potential and actual area under MI in different states (Area in ‘000 ha)
State Drip Sprinkler Total
P A % P A % P A %
Andhra
Pradesh
730 363.07 49.74 387 200.95 51.93 1,117 564.02 50.49
Bihar 142 0.16 0.11 1,708 0.21 0.01 1,850 0.37 0.02
Chattisgarh 22 3.65 16.58 189 59.27 31.36 211 62.92 29.82
Goa 10 0.76 7.62 1 0.33 33.2 11 1.09 9.95
Gujarat 1,599 169.69 10.61 1,679 136.28 8.12 3,278 305.97 9.33
Haryana 398 7.14 1.79 1992 518.37 26.02 2,390 525.5 21.99
Himachal
Pradesh
14 0.12 0.83 101 0.58 0.58 115 0.7 0.61
Jharkand 43 0.13 0.31 114 0.37 0.32 157 0.5 0.32
Karnataka 745 177.33 23.8 697 228.62 32.8 1,442 405.95 28.15
Kerala 179 14.12 7.89 35 252 7.19 214 16.64 7.77
Madhya
Pradesh
1,376 20.43 1.48 5,015 117.69 235 6,391 138.12 2.16
Maharashtra 1,116 482.34 43.22 1,598 214.67 12.53 2,714 697.02 25.68
Nagaland 11 0 0 42 3.96 9.43 53 3.96 7.48
Orissa 157 3.63 2.31 62 23.47 37.85 219 27.1 12.37
Punjab 559 11.73 2.1 2,819 10.51 0.37 3,378 22.24 0.66
Rajasthan 727 17 2.34 4,931 706.81 14.33 5,658 723.82 12.79
Tamil Nadu 544 131.34 24.14 158 27.19 17.21 702 158.52 22.58
Uttar
Pradesh
2,207 10.68 0.48 8,582 10.59 0.12 10,789 21.26 0.2
West Bengal 952 0.15 0.02 280 150.03 53.58 1,232 150.18 12.19
Others 128 15 11.72 188 30 15.96 316 45 14.24
Total 11,659 1,428.46 12.25 30,578 2442.41 7.99 42,237 3,870.86 9.16 Source: Raman(2010) and Indiastat 2010.

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 Goyal, M.R. (2014). Management, performance and applications of micro irrigation systems. CRC Press.
 http://ecoursesonline.iasri.res.in/course/view.php?Id=546
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