Water Use in Agriculture

What is Drip Irrigation?

Drip irrigation, also known as trickle irrigation, is an irrigation method that saves water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone

What is Sprinkler?

A sprinkler is a device that sprays water and used usually used for watering lawns.

What is Surface Irrigation?

The process of surface irrigation can be described using four phases. As water is applied to the top end of the field it will flow or advance over the field length. The advance phase refers to that length of time as water is applied to the top end of the field and flows or advances over the field length. After the water reaches the end of the field it will either run-off or start to pond!

Pros and cons of Drip Irrigation

Benefits:

·         Concentrating your irrigation to specific plants prevents weeds from germinating nearby

·         Retaining the moisture at the soil level also reduces water loss to wind and evaporation

·         Maintain a healthy soil environment for optimal growth

·         With less runoff into local drains, your soil remains full of critical nutrients

Drawbacks:

·         Improper drip irrigation installation often culminates into poor root development

·         Although irrigation filters stop debris from clogging tubes, your system still needs a periodic flushing to remove mineral buildup.

·         Maintain a consistent mulch covering across your tubing 

Pros and cons of Sprinkler

Benefits:

·         Sprinklers can cover large areas

·         Can work at low pressures, saving energy

·         Time saver

·         Automatic sprinklers offer programmable controllers

·         When there’s enough water on the soil from rain showers don’t need use the sprinkler

Drawbacks:

·         Manual sprinklers require people to open the valve and have to manually set it up each time

·         Water can run off into the yard

·         Certain areas in the yard can be missed for watering

·         Equipment is expensive so to ensure it operates efficiently can cost a lot

·         Need to take care in windy conditions 

Pros and cons of Surface irrigation

Benefits

·         Minimal capital investment or energy costs

·         Less affected by climatic

·         Draw backs

·         Tend to be labour intensive

·         Applying light, frequent irrigation early and late in the season is very difficult.

·         Less efficient than other systems

·         Drainage can also be a problem in some circumstances

I believe the farmer should use the sprinkler method. It may be costly but it can water his or her crops at one time. The sprinkler can cover up more areas of crops for watering. And if he or she decides to get an automatic sprinkler he can set up a time for the plants to get watered. That way the plants are never dehydrated. It saves the farmer’s time so he can worry about other things on his land instead of worrying about if his plants are going to survive or not.