This document discusses drip and sprinkler irrigation methods. It defines drip irrigation as a system that slowly delivers water directly to the soil through a network of pipes and emitters. The advantages of drip irrigation include maximum water use efficiency, reduced weeds and erosion, and lower costs. Disadvantages include potential clogging issues and higher initial costs compared to other methods. Sprinkler irrigation is described as applying water through pressurized pipes and sprinklers to break water into drops simulating rainfall. Advantages include suitability for various landscapes and adding fertilizers through the system, while limitations include water loss to evaporation and uneven distribution in windy conditions.

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Fundamentals of Soil and Water Conservation
Engineering
(AGL308)
Mr. Rohitashv Nagar
Assistant Professor
Department of Agronomy
School of Agricultural Sciences
Career Point University, Kota (Raj.)

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Lecture-5
Drip & Sprinkler Irrigation Method

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What is drip irrigation
Drip irrigation is defined as any watering system that delivers
a slow moving supply of water at a gradual rate directly to the
soil. Drip irrigation, which is also sometimes referred to as
micro-irrigation or trickle irrigation, consists of a network of
pipes, tubing valves, and emitters.

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Drip Irrigation. This system is good for a small yard or for
watering individual plants. The advantage of drip irrigation
over sprinklers is that there is little water loss due to
evaporation or runoff. It's particularly good for mulched areas
because it can directly soak the soil without washing away
the mulch.

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Advantages of Drip Irrigation
1. Maximum use of available water.
2. No water being available to weeds.
3. Maximum crop yield.
4. High efficiency in the use of fertilizers.
5. Less weed growth and restricts population of potential hosts.
6. Low labor and relatively low operation cost.
7. No soil erosion.

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8. Improved infiltration in soil of low intake.
9. Ready adjustment to sophisticated automatic control.
10. No runoff of fertilizers into ground water.
11. Less evaporation losses of water as compared to surface
irrigation.
12. Improves seed germination.
13. Decreased to tillage operations.

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Disadvantages of Drip Irrigation
In spite of the fact that drip irrigation has so many potential
benefits , they’re a certain limitation also, there are as follow:
1. Sensitivity to clogging.
2. Moisture distribution problem.
3. Salinity hazards.
4. High cost compared to furrow.
5. High skill is required for design, install and operation.

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Sprinkler irrigation
Sprinkler irrigation is a method of applying irrigation water
which is similar to natural rainfall. Water is distributed
through a system of pipes usually by pumping. It is then
sprayed into the air through sprinklers so that it breaks up
into small water drops which fall to the ground.

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Advantages
1. Suited to complete range of topographies and field dimensions.
2. High irrigation efficiency due to uniform distribution of water.
3. Accurate and easy measurement of water applied.
4. Land leveling is not essential.
5. Soluble fertilizer, herbicides and fungicides can be applied in
the irrigation water economically and with little extra equipment.
6. More land is available for cropping.

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7. No interfere with the movement of farm machinery.
8. Can be used to protect to crop against high temperature
that reduce the quantity and quantity of heaters.
9. Easy to operate, operator may be trained quickly.
10. Sprinklers are also used to irrigation high valued
plantation crops like, coffee, cardamom and orchards.

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Limitation
1. It requires high initial investment.
2. Power requirement is usually high since sprinklers operate with more
than 0.5 kg/cm2 water pressure.
3. Fine textured soils that have low infiltration rate can not be irrigated
efficiently in host windy area.
4. Loss of water due to evaporation from the area during irrigation.
5. The water must be clean and free of sand, debris and large amounts of
dissolve salts.
6. Wind distorts sprinkler pattern and cause uneven distribution of water.
7. Ripening of soft fruit must be protected from the spray.

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Disadvantages of Sprinkler Irrigation Method
• High initial cost of equipments.
• Operating costs are generally higher than irrigation by surface methods.
• Winds disturb the sprinkler pattern giving uneven distribution of the
irrigation water.
• Sprinkling with water containing an appreciable amount of salts may
result in bum or death of the plants.
• Under certain climatic conditions diseases may be encouraged. The
problem of fruit rotting in tomato and strawberry gets aggravated
especially in moist soil condition.

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