Irrigation Topic 2072 Created by Torey Birchmeier

Irrigation Requirements Vary with Crop, Climate, Seasons, Soil Conditions and Methods of Application Vary according to fertilizers and pesticides

Types of Irrigation Systems Border or Flood Furrowing Sprinkler Drip The system to be used is determined by the parcel of land that will grow crops, topography, used to be made of the water, water costs, and volume of water available

Border or Flood Irrigation Used for crops that need constant water Flooding is used to cover the entire field with water Example - Growing rice Place practiced – China

Furrowing Irrigation Furrowing is having many small furrows or ditches throughout the field Each furrow or ditch can be along each row of crop Each furrow can also be spread out to every few rows depending on water needs

Sprinkler Irrigation Piped water, either above or below ground, along through the fields Dig wells for a water source or water can be piped from lakes or rivers Depending on field layout, soil, crop and season, sprinkler heads will spray wate approximately 50 feet As long as the water does not overlap, the sprinklers should not harm the field

Drip or Trickle Irrigation Drip irrigation uses plastic pipes and no pressure Water “seeps” out of the pipes This system is closer to the crop than its roots Most expensive system Not the best water management Drip irrigation puts out close to the amount of water that is evaporated by the plant

When to Irrigate Visually observe plants –Moisture stress plants will appear duller, more ashen green-gray color –Shoot tips will become harder, darker and leaves will curl Tensiometers can be used on trees and vines –Place in a variety or plantings and at various depths –Vacuum gage will show an increase in readings as the soil moisture decreases –By charting daily changes in the readings, a grower can make judgments when to irrigate

When to Irrigate Evapotranspiration (E. T.)-the total water loss by evaporation from the soil surface and transpiration from plants, from a given area, and during a specified amount of time –E.T. is known in many farming communities –The E.T. serves as a guide as to how much irrigation water should be applied to compensate for the water loss from the soil –The crop E.T. given over news media is for grass, which has been selected as the standard reference crop

Converting E.T. for Grass to Crops E.T grapes (in/day) = E.T. grass*k*%canopy k= factor is a crop coefficient which takes into account the transpiration characteristic of the plant For grapes and deciduous trees k=.8% %canopy= percent of ground that is shaded by leaf canopy A mature vineyard in July will have 65% canopy

E.T. Example!!!!!! The weather service has calculated the E.T. for grass to be.4 inches per day E.T.= E.T.grass*k*% canopy =.4*.8*.65% =.2 in/day This means that a mature vineyard in Kalamazoo will lose.2 inches of water a day

Water for Frost Protection Sprinklers can be used for frost protection Key to successful use is to use enough water and start on time Water must be continuously applied to all parts of the crops Alternating on and off to cover a large area will lead to failure

Sprinklers-continued Once ice forms, continue to supply large amounts so that all live surfaces are covered The ice enclosed parts will not be harmed as long as water is added Add water until the ice starts to melt rapidly As sprinklers are first started a temperature drop occurs, but lasts only until they have made several revolutions The drops is due to evaporation

Irrigation used to Reduce Heat High temperatures at the time of bud differentiation can cause croups to “double” This situation can be lessened by using over-tree sprinklers, combined with white wash on the trees and sod culture between rows.

References Irrigation. [On-line]: Irrigation Methods. [On-line]: Water Use of the World. [On-line]: mac.uncc.edu/faculty/haas/geol3190/termpap/wilson,r/index.htmlhttp://ga- mac.uncc.edu/faculty/haas/geol3190/termpap/wilson,r/index.html