Journal of Environmental Management 76 (2005) 338–341

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Biological treatment of clogged emitters in a drip irrigation system

Üstün Şahina, Ömer Anapalıa, Mesude Figen Dönmezb, Fikrettin Şahinb,c,*
a
Department of Agricultural Structures and Irrigation, Faculty of Agriculture, Ataturk University, 25240 Erzurum, Turkey
b
Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Ataturk University, 25240 Erzurum, Turkey
c
Biotechnology Application and Research Center, Ataturk University, 25240 Erzurum, Turkey
Received 18 March 2004; accepted 10 February 2005

Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate microbial organisms that can be used for preventing clogging in drip irrigation systems caused by
biological factors. A total of 25 fungi isolate and 121 bacterial strains were isolated from water samples collected from drip irrigation systems
in tomato greenhouses in the eastern Anatolia region of Turkey in the spring season of 2001. Biological clogging of emitters in a model drip
irrigation system was experimentally caused by application of the microorganisms (fungi and bacteria) isolated in the study. Three
antagonistic bacterial strains in the genus Bacillus spp (ERZ, OSU-142) and Burkholdria spp (OSU-7) were used for treatment of biological
clogging of the emitters. The results showed that the antagonistic bacterial strains tested have the potential to be used as anti-clogging agents
for treatment of emitters in drip irrigation system. This is the first study that demonstrated that antagonistic microorganisms can be utilized
for treatment of clogging in drip irrigation systems.
q 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Biological treatment; Drip irrigation; Emitters; Antagonistic bacteria; Anti-clogging agent

1. Introduction to the non-irrigated plants (Povoa and Hills, 1994; Capra

Drip irrigation, also called trickle irrigation or micro-
irrigation, is a localized irrigation method that slowly and
frequently provides water directly to the plant root zone
(Evans, 2000). It is known as a low cost water delivery
system. Due to limited water resources and environmental
consequences of common irrigation systems, drip irrigation
technology is getting more attention and playing an
important role in agricultural production, particularly with
high value cash crops such as greenhouse plants, orna-
mentals and fruit. Therefore, use of drip irrigation systems is
rapidly increasing around the world. Emitter clogging has
often been recognized as inconvenient and one of the
most important concerns for drip irrigation systems,
resulting in lowered system performance and water stress
* Corresponding author. Address: Department of Plant Protection,
Faculty of Agriculture, Ataturk University, 25240 Erzurum, Turkey. Tel.:
C90 442 231 2610; fax: C90 442 231 1469.
E-mail addresses: ussahin@atauni.edu.tr (Ü. Şahin), fsahin@atauni.
edu.tr (Ü. Şahin).
0301-4797/$ - see front matter q 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2005.02.003
and Scicolone, 1998). Partial and total plugging of emitters
is closely related to the quality of the irrigation water, and
occurs as a result of multiple factors, including physical,
biological and chemical agents (Gilbert et al., 1981; Pitts
et al., 1990; Coelho and Resende, 2001). Favorable
environmental conditions in drip irrigation systems can
cause rapid growth of several species of algae and bacteria
resulting in slime and filament buildup, which often become
large enough to cause biological clogging (Gilbert and Ford,
1986). On the other hand, some of the bacterial species may
cause emitter clogging due to the precipitation of iron,
manganese and sulfur minerals dissolved in irrigation water
(James, 1988; Pitts et al., 1990).
Filtration, chemical treatment of water and flushing of
laterals are means generally applied to control emitter
clogging (Nakayama and Bucks, 1991). Physical clogging
can be eliminated with the use of fine filters and screens.
Chemical precipitation can be controlled with acid
injection. However, biological clogging is quite difficult
to control. Chlorination is the most common practice
used in the prevention and treatment of emitter clogging
caused by algae and bacteria (Pitts et al., 1990; Yuan
et al., 1998; Coelho and Resende, 2001; Hills and
 Ü Şahin et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 76 (2005) 338–341 339

Brenes, 2001). Calcium hypochlorite, sodium hypochlor- 2.2. Evaluation of antagonistic bacterial strains
ite, and particularly chlorine are the most common and against microflora of drip irrigation system
inexpensive treatments for bacterial slimes and for
inhibition of bacterial growth in drip irrigation systems Three bacterial strains (Bacillus OSU-142, Bacillus ERZ
(Howell et al., 1983; Evans, 2000; ASAE Standards, and Burkholdria OSU-7) determined to exhibit strong
2001). However, continuous chlorination would increase antagonistic activity in previous studies (Kotan et al.,
total dissolved solids in the irrigation water and would 1999; Eşitken et al., 2002; Kotan and Şahin, 2002) were
contribute to increased soil salinity (Hills et al., 2000). tested against each of the fungi isolates and bacterial strains
These problems have forced scientists to find an isolated in the present study according to the in-vitro tests
environmentally friendly method for treatment of bio- described previously (Kotan and Şahin, 2002). All of the
logical clogging. Some of the microorganisms have been three bacterial strains were found to have the potential to be
previously reported to be antagonistic and have been used in the treatment of biologically clogged emitters in drip
used for biological control of pathogenic microorganisms irrigation systems.
in agricultural crop production (Eşitken et al., 2002;
Kotan and Şahin, 2002). They may be useful for
development of an alternative method of controlling 2.3. Preparation of bacterial suspension
biological clogging of emitters in drip irrigation systems. for biological treatment
However, there has been no attempt to study the
development and application of biological methods for All three antagonistic bacterial strains (Bacillus
treatment of emitter clogging. Therefore, the objectives OSU-142, Bacillus ERZ and Burkholdria OSU-7) were
of this study were: (1) to identify potential microorgan- grown on nutrient agar. A single colony from each culture
isms with antimicrobial activity on the microbial flora was transferred to a 500-mL flask containing nutrient broth
isolated from drip irrigation systems and (2) to develop a (NB), and grown aerobically in the flask on a rotating shaker
biological method for treatment of biologically clogged (150 rpm) overnight at 30 8C. The nutrient broth with
emitters in drip irrigation systems. bacterial growth was then diluted in sterile distilled water
containing 0.025% Tween 20 to a final concentration of 109
CFU/mL, and used for biological treatment of biologically
clogged emitters in a drip irrigation system.
2. Materials and methods
2.4. Design and operation of a model drip irrigation system
2.1. Sample collection, microorganism isolation
and culture conditions An experimental model of a drip irrigation system was
designed on a workbench at the Laboratory of Irrigation in
In the spring of 2001, a total of 17 water samples the Department of Agricultural Structure and Irrigation at
with microbial growth were collected from drip irrigation Atatürk University. A hydraulic structure was formed with
systems of tomato greenhouses, where biological clog- two 12-m-long polyethylene drip irrigation pipes
ging of emitters was observed, in the eastern Anatolia (: 16 mm) (Göktepew, Izmir, Turkey), one of which was
region of Turkey. Each sample (10 mL) was mixed with for treatment and the other was a control lateral. Each lateral
90 mL of sterile peptone water by shaking in a emitter spacing, operation pressure and discharge rate was
Stomacher (Gerhardt, Germany) for 5 min. Then decimal 0.33 m, 0.4 atm and 2.3 L/h per emitter, respectively. The
dilutions of the resulting suspension in 9% (w/v) NaCl emitters (tortuous path) used in this study were the in-line
solution were prepared and plated on Potato Dextrose type with double exits. Hydraulic properties of the emitters
(PDA) agar (Oxoid, Hampshire, UK), and Sabouraund are summarized in Table 1.
Dextrose (SD) agar (Difco, Detroid, USA) for fungal
isolation and Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS) agar (Oxoid), Table 1
Violet Red Bile (VRB) agar (Oxoid), Baird–Paker agar Hydraulic properties of emitters
(Difco) and Nutrient (NA) agar (Acumedia, Baltimore, Operation Average Coefficient of Correlation Manufac-
MD, USA) for bacterial isolation. All plates were pressure emitter (qZkhx) coefficient, turer’s
incubated at 30 8C for 3–5 days. After the incubation (atm) discharge equation r2 coefficient
period, sub-culturing on the same media used for rate, q (L/h) of variation
ka xb
isolation purified the grown bacterial and fungal colonies. 0.5 2.57 3.8441 0.5625 0.99 0.022
In this study, a total of 121 bacterial strains and 25 fungi 1.0 3.94
isolates were isolated and stored for further studies. 1.5 4.81
Bacterial strains were maintained for long-term storage in 2.0 5.62
nutrient broth with 15% glycerol at K80 8C. Fungi a
Coefficient characterizing dripper dimension.
b
isolates were kept in PDA slants at 4 8C in a refrigerator. Dripper flow regime coefficient (flow exponent).
340 Ü Şahin et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 76 (2005) 338–341

Table 2 100
The physical and chemical properties of drinking water used Treatment
Control
Physical Concen- Chemical Concentrations
properties trations properties
Suspended solids – Electrical 263.07 80
(mg/L) conductivity

Change in average discharge rate (%)

(m[/cm)
Color Clear PH 7.86
Smell and taste Normal Ions (mg/L)
Temperature (8C) 14G1 Calcium 32.06 60
Organic matter (mg/L) 0.60 Magnesium 7.29
Ammonium 0.002
Sodium 6.90
Potassium 5.38
Boron 0.005 40
Carbonate –
Bicarbonate 80.00
Chlorine 20.00
Sulfate 36.63
Nitrite 0.02 20
Nitrate 25.92
Manganese 0.13
Iron 0.30
Sulfur –
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
2.5. Biological clogging and treatment of emitters Time (day)
in a model drip irrigation system
Fig. 2. The change in average discharge rate in the stage of anti-clogging.

All of the fungi isolates and bacterial strains isolated from

clogged due to microbial growth during the time of the
drip irrigation systems were grown on the same media used for
experiment (Fig. 1). Then, 500 mL of a mixture of
isolation. A mixture of suspension prepared from bacterial
antagonistic bacterial suspension and sterile distilled water
strains (109 CFU/mL) and fungi isolates (104 spores/mL) with
was applied to the treatment and control lateral, respectively.
sterile water in a plastic container (2 L) was injected into the
This application was repeated two times at 48 h intervals. The
tank of the drip irrigation system three times at 7-day intervals.
irrigation system was operated and the flow rate of each
The irrigation system was operated 8 h daily for 30 days. The emitter was measured daily (Fig. 2).
physical and chemical properties of the drinking water used
are given in Table 2. All emitters were partially or totally
3. Results and discussion
2.5
A total of 25 fungi and 121 bacterial strains were isolated
from water samples collected from drip irrigation systems in
2 tomato greenhouses in the eastern Anatolia region of Turkey
in the spring season of 2001. Biological clogging of emitters
Average discharge rate (L/h)

in a model drip irrigation system was experimentally caused

1.5 by application of the microorganisms isolated in the study
within two weeks (Fig. 2). The mechanism of biological
clogging may be explained by growth of mycelium after
1 injection of fungi spores into the tank without requiring
a high level of organic matter in the water. Colonization of
fungal mycelium around the emitters of the drip irrigation
0.5 system may provide substrate for bacterial strains to grow
and produce extracellular polymeric substances (EPS).
Development of biomass (a mixture of microbial growth
0 including fungi and bacteria with EPS) on the emitters
0 10 20 30 resulted in biological clogging of the emitters.
Time (day) The in-vitro test results of the three antagonistic bacterial
strains (Bacillus spp ERZ, OSU-142 and Burkholdria spp
Fig. 1. Average discharge rate of the emitters in the stage of clogging. OSU-7) selected and tested against all of the microbial
 Ü Şahin et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 76 (2005) 338–341
organisms isolated confirmed the data reported in previous
studies (Kotan et al., 1999; Eşitken et al., 2002; Kotan and
Şahin, 2002) The results showed that Bacillus strains
(OSU-142, ERZ) inhibited all of the fungi isolates, but
only 18 and 42% of the bacterial strains, respectively.
However, Burkholdria OSU-7 inhibited the development of
all of the fungi and bacterial strains tested.
Two applications of 500 mL of a mixed antagonistic
bacterial suspension at a concentration of 109 CFU/mL into
one lateral of the pilot drip irrigation system showed that all
emitters clogged due to microbial growth were cleaned and
the discharge rate reached a maximum within 2 weeks after
treatment. However, there was no reduction in the emitters
of the control lateral treated with sterile water. This finding
confirmed the in-vitro test results suggesting that the
antagonistic bacterial strains tested in this study have
the potential to be used not only for management of plant
diseases (Kotan et al., 1999; Eşitken et al., 2002; Kotan and
Şahin, 2002), but also as anti-clogging agents for treatment
of emitters in drip irrigation systems. This is the first study
that demonstrated that antagonistic microorganisms can be
utilized for treatment of clogging in drip irrigation systems.
4. Conclusion
The results of the present study suggested that:
(1) Bacillus spp ERZ, OSU-142 and Burkholdria spp
OSU-7 are the antagonistic bacterial strains which can be
used as anti-clogging agents for treatment of emitters in drip
irrigation systems used in agriculture and/or domestic
landscapes; (2) the use of these antagonistic bacterial strains
in drip irrigation systems may reduce or completely
eliminate the need for repetitive chemical applications to
treat emitter clogging; (3) these strains may have the
potential to be used not only for cleaning of biologically
clogged emitters, but also for biological control of
pathogenic microorganisms that cause diseases in plants
watered with drip irrigation systems.
341
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