This document discusses micro irrigation systems in India. It begins with an introduction and overview of irrigation scenarios and classifications. It then discusses different types of micro irrigation systems used in India including drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, LEPA and LESA. It provides details on the components, layout, advantages and disadvantages of drip and sprinkler irrigation. It also discusses research studies on the effects of micro irrigation on crop yields and water usage for various crops in different states of India. It concludes with sections on maintenance of micro irrigation equipment and design and management issues.

1. Shantappa Duttarganvi
II year Ph. D
PHD11AGR1007

3. Introduction
Irrigation scenario
Classification
Drip irrigation
Sprinkler irrigation
LEPA & LESA
Conclusion

4. (m ha)
Geographical area
 Gross cultivable area
 Gross irrigated area
 Net irrigated area

329
190
76
56
Ratio
Kharif Rabi
Net Sown area to operational land (%)
87
57
Irrigated Land to Net Sown Area (%)
42
67

6. Micro irrigation area in different states (2010)
Micro irrigation area in different states (2010)
Source : Proceedings of national seminar on advances in micro irrigation, 2011

7. Area under micro-irrigation in the
world
7th International micro-irrigation congress, 2011

8. 
Delivery of water at low flow rates through various types
of water applicators by a distribution system located on
the soil surface, beneath the surface or suspended above
the ground

Apply water in precise:
◦
◦
◦
Time
Location
Quantity

9. Advantages of micro irrigation

Water & fertilizer operating cost savings

Ability to apply saline water

Operate on steep slopes and rough terrain

Reduced evaporation & soil water near FC

Easy to automate

Adaptable for chemigation

Reduced weed growth and disease problems

10. 
High initial cost

Susceptible to clogging

Ponding & runoff on heavy soils

May require better management

Restricted root development

11. Fruits
Hilly /
Undulating
Areas
Vegetables
Deserts
Spices
Cereals
Forests
Micro Irrigation
Oilseeds
Flowers
Saline
Water
Sugarcane
Pulses
Cotton
With
Major/ Medium
Irrigation

12. Components of micro irrigation system
Source: Jain irrigation

13. Types of Micro
irrigaTion sysTeMs

14. Types of micro-irrigation
 Drip irrigation
Surface drip & Subsurface drip
 Sprinkler irrigation
Rotating head system
Perforated pipe system
Based on portability
Portable & Semi portable system
Solid set system & Permanent system
LEPA (Low- elevation precision applicators)
LESA (Low energy spray applicators)

15. Drip
Irrigation

17. Surface drip
Water applied through small emitter openings
(<3 gal/hr/emitter)
Most prevalent type of micro irrigation
Can inspect, check wetting patterns and
measure emitter discharges

18. Subsurface drip
Water applied through small emitter openings below
the soil surface
Basically a surface system that's been buried
(few inches to a couple feet)
Permanent installation

19. SUBSURFACE DRIP IRRIGATION
Advantages
High & uniform water application
 Lower pressure & power requirements
 No dry corners
 Adaptable to automation

Disadvantages
High initial cost
 Water filtration required
 Complex maintenance requirements

Flushing, Chlorination and Acid injection

20. Emitter Layouts
 Many
configurations are
designed to increase per
cent of wetted area
 Rate
of flow per lateral &
total pipe length

21. Classification of drip lines

Point source
Line source

22. Point source system-online drippers
 The emitters are inserted on the outside of the distribution line
 Here the emitters work under a pressure of 0.5 to 1.5 kg/cm2
with a flow rate of 2 to 8 lph

23. LINE SOURCE SYSTEM/INLINE
DRIPPERS
 Drippers are inserted into the tube at the time of
manufacturing the lateral tubes in the factory
 The drippers are inserted at desired intervals as per the
crop and soil requirements
 Line source emitters are suitable for close grown row
crops and in gardens
 The dripper spacing is more with a discharge ranging
from less than 1 to 4 lph
Its major disadvantage is the difficulty in de clogging

24. Nutrient distribution pattern

25. Trenching across the drip tubing for PVC pipe installation

26. Drip irrigation system to the field

27. Economic comparison of drip and furrow
irrigation methods
Economic activity
evaluated for each
scenario
Drip Irrigated Percentage as
Compared to the Same FurrowIrrigated Farm Model, 2000
Yield
+25%
Chemicals
-18%
Fertilizer
-26%
Capital
+47%
Fixed costs
+19%
Net operating profit
+12%
Jerry, 2010

28. EFFECT OF DRIP FERTIGATION ON YIELD
AND WATER PRODUCTIVITY OF MAIZE
Coimbatore
Ponnuswamy and Santhi (2008)

29. Grain yield and Water use efficiency (WUE) of
Green gram under drip irrigation
Treatment
WUE
Grain yield Straw yield Quantity of
(kg/ha)
(kg/ha)
water (mm) (kg/ha mm)
IW/CPE
ratio
I1: 0.30
545
1794
130
4.61
I2: 0.45
695
2231
180
4.52
I3: 0.60
962
3076
280
4.36
I4: 0.75
1102
3423
330
4.34
CD at 5%
92.08
295.72
-
-
Gujara
t
Patel et al. (1996)

30. Effect of drip irrigation on yield, oil content and WUE
of Sunflower
Seed yield
(q/ha)
Stover
yield
(q/ha)
Total water
used (mm)
Oil content
(%)
WUE
(kg/ha-mm)
Drip at 0.5
Epan
35.25
35.00
412.85
42.19
8.54
Drip at 0.6
Epan
35.84
38.09
457.68
41.70
7.81
Drip at 0.8
Epan
30.87
34.70
548.64
40.96
5.62
Weekly
surface
irrigation at
0.8 Epan
31.75
33.40
548.64
41.37
5.79
CD at 5%
1.29
NS
-
0.78
0.260
Treatment
Bangalore
Shivakumar et al. (2000)

31. Effect of irrigation methods on quality parameters,
water-use efficiency and yield of Cotton
WUE
(kg/hamm)
Total
water
applied
(mm)
Saving
of water
surface
method
(%)
Seed
index
(%)
Lint
index
(g)
Oil
content
(%)
Seed
cotton
yield
(kg/ha)
Drip
0.4 CPE
5.39
3.52
18.8
1096
3.01
364
46.2
Drip
0.6 CPE
5.79
3.76
19.8
1431
3.05
471
30.9
Drip
0.8 CPE
6.10
3.83
20.0
1535
2.67
578
14.5
Alternate
furrow
5.75
3.65
19.0
1348
3.33
413
38.9
Surface
irrigation
5.83
3.67
19.1
1375
2.02
675
-
CD at 5%
0.39
0.12
0.16
92
0.20
-
-
Treatment
Sagarka et al., 2002

32. Irrigation requirement = crop water requirement – effective rainfall

33. Sprinkler Irrigation

34. Micro spray/ micro jets
Discharge: 1gal/min/spray applicator
 Low operating pressure requirements of from 0.8 to 1.5
kg/cm2, low water application rates and suitability for stony
or very coarse sandy soils
 Objective: To emit water in the form of small droplets
without causing any misting

35. • These
are highly useful for high discharge requirements in case
of orchards and also where the crop canopy as well as the root
zone spread is more
• They are normally, designed to spray water to cover an area of
1 to 6 meters with a flow rate varying from 20 lph to 120 lph

36. RAIN GUN
Most suitable for a variety of climates like tropical,
temperate and humid climates as in India
 Light in weight and easy to install
 Uniform distribution profile with adjustable jet
 Long life span and low maintenance
 Better pattern coverage & good performance in windy
conditions


37. Effect of micro sprinkler irrigation on yield and
water productivity of Groundnut
Treatments
Surface method
Micro sprinkler 100% PE
Micro sprinkler 80% PE
Micro sprinkler 60% PE
Micro sprinkler 40% PE
Micro sprinkler 100%
ETc
Micro sprinkler 80% ETc
Micro sprinkler 60% ETc
Micro sprinkler 40% ETc
CD at 5%
Bhavanisagar (TN)
Yield
(kg/ha)
2797
2860
3823
3407
2992
Total water used
(mm)
409.2
558.1
510.7
467.6
412
WUE
(kg/ha-mm)
6.8
5.12
7.48
7.29
7.26
3324
502.28
6.62
3130
3047
2770
153
462.46
426.26
379.55
6.77
7.15
5.85
Krishnamurthi et al., 2003

38. Growth and yield attributes of Chilli as influenced by
micro- irrigation systems
Plant height
at harvest
(cm)
No. of
branches/pla
nt at harvest
Yield of chilli
(t/ha)
T1-Control
78.5
11.9
8.19
T2-Rotary
micro-sprinkler
87.9
15.8
11.05
T3- Stationary
micro-sprinkler
80.4
15.2
10.60
T4-Strip tape
77.5
13.9
9.90
T5-Turbokey
79.2
15.0
10.21
T6- Micro-tube
78.8
12.5
9.86
S.E. ±
2.99
0.51
0.08
CD at 5%
8.87
1.50
0.25
Treatments
Shinde et al.,1999

39. Average cotton yields and water application
comparisons
Irrigation
system
Cotton yields Water
lint (lb/acre) applied
(Inches)
Yield to water
use ratio
(lb/inch)
Furrow
1350
65
20.0
Sprinkler
1200
42
29.0
Drip
1890
32
59.0
Howard Wuertz, 2010

40. LEPA & LESA
LEPA
(Low- elevation precision
applicators)
95 to 98% efficiency
LESA
(Low energy spray applicators)
Efficiency 90%
Schneider, 2000

41. Depth of soil-water content at different irrigation
regimes and in different micro-irrigation methods
Medium-low Elevation Spray Application
Low- Elevation Spray Application
Low –Elevation precision Application
Sub- Surface Drip Irrigation

42. Selection of the Systems

43. SELECTION OF THE
SYSTEMS

44. Contd…

45. Possibilities of adapting micro irrigation
Drip irrigation
 All type of crops
except some close
spaced crops
 Well and tank
irrigation
 Suitable for all types
of soils – sandy, clay
and saline
Sprinkler irrigation
 Close spaced crops
 Well, tank and canal
irrigation
 Suitable for all types
of soils – coarse
sandy soils

46. Salt movement under irrigation with saline water
Subsurface Drip
Salt accumulation leached
radially outward from drip
tubing
Sprinkler/Flood
Salt accumulation leached
downward by successive water
applications

47. Comparative efficiency of irrigation systems
Surface
Sprinkler
Drip
irrigation
30 - 40%
60 - 70%
80 - 90%

48. Relative Irrigation Efficiencies (%) under
Different Methods of irrigation
Sivanappan, 1997

49. Effect of micro irrigation in different crops on water saving and crop
yield (from past research studies)
Name of researcher
Location
Crop
Water saving
Crop yield
Jadhav et al. (1990)
Haryana
Tomato
31%
50%
Hapase et al.(1992)
Maharashtra
Sugarcane
50-55%
12-37%
Bangalore
Cotton
Gujarat
Cotton
25%
22-26%
Coimbatore
Maize
32-43%
35-39%
Bangalore
Red gram,
Cotton
51%
24, 49, 131%
Anon. (1993)
Junagadh
Groundnut
42%
40-46%
Veeraputhiran et al. (2012)
Madurai
Sugarcane
31%
30-33%
Sagarkar et al. (2002)
Gujarat
Cotton
38-46%
Coimbatore
Cotton
30-36%
25-27%
Madurai
Groundnut
30-38%
50-55%
Lahore(Pakistan) Rice, Wheat
26-35%
Reddy and
Thimmegowda(1997)
Shiyani et al. (1999)
Anitta Fanish and
Muthukrishnan(2011)
Ramachandrappa and
Havanagi(1983)
Rajendran et al. (2012)
Vijayalaksmi et al. (2003)
Kahlowan et al. (2006)
13-16%

50. MAINTAINANCE OF MICRO
IRRIGATION EQUIPMENTS

51. DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT
ISSUES
Clogging
 Physical (mineral particles)
 Chemical (precipitation)
 Biological (slimes, algae, etc.)
 Chlorination
When the source of irrigation water is a dam, river,
irrigation channel, etc., chlorination is recommended which
kills bacteria, algae and other organic matter.
 Acidification
Injection of 30% HCl is recommended for removal of
precipitated calcium salts on the inner surface of the drip
system.


52. Types of filtration systems

53. Back washing in sand filters
Filters

54. Dublin Principles (ICWE, 1992)
 Freshwater is a finite vulnerable resource, essential to
sustain life, development and environment
 Water development and management should be based on
a participatory approach involving users, planners and
policy makers at all levels
 Women play a central part in the provision, management
and safeguarding of water
 Water has an economic value in all its competing uses
and should be recognized as an economic good

55. Future line of work
 Creating awareness about importance of improving
water productivity through micro irrigation is need of
the hour
 Need for development of low cost micro irrigation
systems for wider adaptability
 Optimization of level of nutrients and irrigation water
through micro irrigation in different crops

56. Conclusion