Irrigation Engineering

Methods of irrigation
 Surface irrigation methods
• Refers to a broad class of irrigation in which the soil surface
conveys and distributes water over the irrigated field and at
the same time infiltrates into the underlying profile.
• is the oldest and still the most widely used method of water
application to agricultural land.
• Irrigation systems generally consist of four components:
1) Physical systems
2) Cropping system
3) Social and organizational systems
4) Economic systems
 Physical systems
The primary purpose of the physical system is to
supply water to an area for crop production.
The physical systems of surface irrigation systems as
a whole consist of five sub-systems.
• Water supply sub-system:
• Water delivery sub-system:
• Water application sub-system:
• Water use sub-system
• Water removal sub-system
 Water application sub-system:

The output from water delivery sub –system is

the input for water application sub-system.
Functions
• To distribute the desired amount of water
with the designed uniformity over the field
• To satisfy erosion control standards
• To provide necessary surface drainage
 Water use sub-system
• The water use sub- system receives water from
the application sub-system.
Functions
• To supply the water requirement of the crop
• To maintain acceptable level of soil salinity
• To ensure adequate nutrients
• To provide soil conditions for supporting plants,
preventing soil crusting facilitating tillage etc
 Water removal sub-system
This subsystem is used for removal and disposal of
surface and sub- surface waters from land to
improve agriculture operations.
Functions
• To provide proper root aeration by lowering
ground water table
• To maintain appropriate salinity levels with in the
soil profile
• To dispose (remove) excess irrigation or rainwater
from the field
 Irrigated cropping system:
• is defined as all the elements required for production of a
particular crop or set of crops and inter relationships between
the crop or set of crops and the environment with this context,
• cropping system, consists:
• Plant environment: - crop types grown in the area.
• Farm management: - the management practices of the farm and
its effect on irrigated cropping system
Important aspects
– Tillage operation
– Irrigation practices
– Soil fertility management
– Seed bed management
– Crop management
• Social and organizational systems: This deals
with the interrelationships between social
groups and organizations in the development
and management of sustainable irrigation
system.
•
• Economic System: This deals with the overall
benefits obtained from the system and its
accompanying costs incurred.
 Advantages of surface irrigation
• It is more acceptable to agriculturalists that appreciate the
effect of water shortage on crop yield since it appears
easier to apply the depth required to fill the root zone
• It can be developed at the farm level with minimal capital
investment
• The major capital expense of the surface irrigation system
is generally associated with land grading
• Energy requirements for surface irrigation systems come
from gravity
• are less affected by climatic and water quality
characteristics.
• is highly flexible, relatively easily managed method of
irrigation.
disadvantages of surface irrigation
• There is one disadvantage of surface irrigation
that confronts every designer and irrigator.
• It is very difficult to define the primary design
variables, discharge and time of application,
due to the highly spatial and temporal
variability of the soil.
Surface Irrigation Processes And
Methods
Surface Irrigation Processes (hydraulic
phases)
• Advance phase: the time interval between the start of irrigation and
arrival of the advancing (wetting) front at the lower end of the field.
• Ponding (wetting storage or continuing) phase: the irrigation time
extending between the end of advance and inflow cut-off.
• The term “Wetting” phase is usually used for furrow and border where tail
water runoff can occur, whereas ponding is the preferred term for basin
irrigation (no tail water runoff)
• Depletion (vertical recession) phase: the time interval between supply
cut-off and the time that water dries up at the inlet boundary.
• Recession (horizontal recession) phase: the time required the water to
recede from all points in the channel, starting from the end of the
depletion phase.
• The time difference at each measuring station between the clock time or
cumulative time for advance and recession is the opportunity time, T,
infiltration to occur.
Phase of irrigation systems
 Classification of surface irrigation
methods
• Flooding,
• Basins,
• Borders
• Furrows
 a) Free flooding

Water is applied from field ditches without any levee to guide its
flow.
Ditches are excavated in the field
Movement of water is not restricted, it is sometimes called “wild
flooding”
It is suitable for close growing crops, pastures etc.
It is practiced large where irrigation water is abundant and
inexpensive.
It involves low initial cost of land preparation, extra labor cost in
the application of water.
Application of efficiency is low.
This method may be used on rolling land (topography irregular)
where borders, checks, basins and furrows are not feasible.
This method is mostly used in India, U.S.A., Egypt, Nepal, etc.
 b) Boarder flooding

The farm is divided into a number of strips (width 10 ~ 20 m and

length 100 ~ 400 m) separated by low levees or borders.
Water is turned from the supply ditch into these strips along which a
flow slowly toward the lower end, wetting the soil as it advances.
When the advancing water front reaches the lower end, the stream
turned off.
The surface is essentially level between levees and lengthwise slope
is somewhat according to natural slope of the land (0.2 ~ 0.4%).
It is suitable to soils having moderately low to moderately high
infiltration rates and to all closely growing crops.
Uniform distribution and high water application efficiencies are
possible.
Large streams can be used efficiently.
It involves high initial cost.
Ridges between borders should be sufficiently high
 b) Boarder flooding…

General types:
Straight boarder
Contour boarder
Advantages:
High efficiency can be achieved
Utilize large water streams safely
Provide uniform wetting and efficient use of water
Requires less labour and time
Disadvantages:
Large supply of water is needed
Requires proper leveling
High initial cost
 C) Check flooding

In this method, the entire field is divided into a number of almost
levelled plots surrounded by levees. Water is admitted from the
farmer’s watercourse to these plots turn by turn.
Water is applied into relatively levelled plots surrounded by small
levees called check basin.
In this method, the check (land) is field with water at a fairly high rate
& allowed to stand until the water infiltrate.
Check flooding is similar to free flooding except that the water is
controlled by surrounding the area with low and flat levees. Levees
are generally constructed along the contours of vertical interval 5-10
cm.
This method is suitable for both permeable and impermeable soil.
 C) Check flooding…

Advantages:
Reduces percolation loss in case of more permeable soil as water can
spread quickly.
Sometimes, levees are made sufficiently wide so that some ‘row’
crops can be grown over the levee surface
Unskilled labour can be employed.
Disadvantages:
Nos. of labour required is high.
Loss of cultivable area which is occupied by the levees.
Levees impose restriction in the use of farm machinery.
d) Basin flooding
Basins are flat areas of land surrounded by low bunds. The bunds
prevent the water from flowing to the adjacent fields.
The basins are filled to desired depth and the water is retained
until it infiltrates into the soil. Water may be maintained for
considerable periods of time
A special type of check flooding.
Adopted specially for orchard trees.
One or more trees are generally placed in the basin and surface is
flooded.
General Types:
Check basin
Ring basin
 d) Basin…

Advantages:
Provides efficient use of water
Involves less labour and less water
Disadvantages:
Requires expert levelling and layout
High initial cost
Large quantity of water is needed
 e) Furrow irrigation

Furrows are narrow field fitches excavated between the rows of

plants.
Furrows vary from 8-30 cm deep and as much as 400 m long.
Only one-fifth to one-half of the land surface is wetted by water,
as a result there is less evaporation.
This methods is suitable for row crops like potatoes, maize, cotton,
etc. and those crops crops that cannot stand water for long periods,
like 12 to 24 hours.
Furrow irrigation is suitable to most soils except sandy soils that
have very high infiltration water and provide poor lateral distribution
water between furrows.
 e) Furrow irrigation…

Advantages:
Evaporation loss is reduced
High water efficiency
Not expansive to maintain
Relatively easy to install
Labour requirement in land preparation and irrigation are reduced.

Disadvantages:
Requires skills labour for developing furrows
Silts from furrow should be removed regularly
 f) Drip Irrigation

This system involves the slow application of water, drop by drop to

the root-zone of a crop.
The equipment consists of a pumping unit, pipelines with drip type
nozzles or emitters, and a filter unit to remove the suspended
impurities in the water.
It is particularly suited to areas where water quality is marginal,
land is steeply sloping or undulating and of poor quality, where
water or labour are expensive, or where high value crops require
frequent water applications.
The amount of water dripping from the nozzles can be regulated,
as desired, by varying the pressure at the nozzles, and the size of the
orifice of the nozzles.
Water supply may be continuous or intermittent.
 f) Drip Irrigation…

A typical drip irrigation system consists of the following components:

• Pump unit • Control Head
• Main and sub main lines • Laterals
• Emitters and drippers
#Pipe network
-It consists of main line and no. of laterals line.
-Nos. of small diameter pipes called trickle lines are provides which
takes water from lateral pipes and carry it to the root of crops.
#Emitters
- They are provided on each trickle line at suitable spacing.
 f) Drip Irrigation…

Merits/Advantages:
Very economic.
Surface evaporation is reduced.
Suited to arid regions.
Can be used for applying fertilizers.
Increase yield by 50-60%.

Demerits/Disadvantages:
Initial cost is more and
Require high maintenance
 Sprinkler method
• applying water to the surface of the soil in the form of a spray, which is
similar to natural rainfall.
• was started at about1900.
• Before 1920 sprinkling was limited to tree crops, nurseries and orchards.
• Most of these systems were stationary overhead-perforated pipe
installations or stationary over tree systems with rotating sprinklers.
• These systems were expensive to install but often fairly inexpensive to
operate.
• Portable sprinkler systems developed with the introduction of light weight
steel pipe and quick couplers in the early 1930`s, resulted in reduction of
equipment cost and increased number of sprinkler installation.
• Sprinklers have been used on all soil types and on lands of widely different
topography and slopes and for many crops.
• 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.
• The pump supply system, sprinklers and operating conditions must be
designed to enable a uniform application of water.
 Sprinkler irrigation versus surface
irrigation
• Sprinkler systems can be designed so that less interference
with cultivation and other farming operations occurs and
less land is taken out of production than with surface
methods.
• Frequent and small depth of water can readily be applied
by sprinkler systems.
• Higher water application efficiency can normally be
obtained by sprinkler irrigation.
• For areas requiring in frequent irrigation, sprinkler
irrigation can be provided at a lower capital investment per
acre of land irrigated than can surface irrigation.
• Whenever water can be delivered to the field under gravity
irrigation, sprinkler irrigation is particularly attractive.
 Limitations of sprinkler irrigation
• Wind distorts sprinkler pattern and causes uneven
distribution of water
• Ripened soft fruits may be affected by spraying water
• Water must be clean and free of sand, debris and large
amount of dissolved salts
• High initial investment as compared to surface irrigation
• High power requirements
• Fine textured soils with slow infiltration rate cannot be
irrigated efficiently in hot windy areas
• In areas of high temperature and high wind velocity,
considerable evaporation losses of water may take place
 Types of sprinklers and sprinkler
systems
• Based on the arrangement for spraying
irrigation water sprinklers
– Fixed Nozzle:
– Perforated sprinkler
– Rotating sprinklers
 Classification
• Based on the method of developing pressure
– Pump powered system
– Gravity sprinkler system
– Hybrid systems (Pumps + Gravity)
• Based on portability and make-up of units
– Conventional systems
– Mobile sprinkler machines
 Components
• Pressure generating units (Pump unit)
• Water carrier units (Mainlines, sub mainlines,
Laterals)
• Water delivery units (Riser pipes and Sprinklers)
• Quality improvement sub units (Screens, Desilting-
basins)
• Ancillary units (Fertilizer and other chemical
applicator)
 Chapter 3: Methods of Irrigation
#Old/Important question
1. Justify why sprinkler and drip irrigation methods are the
innovative method of irrigation at hilly and mountainous region
of Nepal where topography and water availability are the major
constraints. (2012; 2014 Spring; 2015)
2. Discuss the various methods of irrigation with neat sketches.
(2013)
3. Describe the methods of surface irrigation with neat sketches.
(2014 fall)