Abstract
Crops are highly susceptible to drought in sloping land. Due to its good adaptability to complex terrain, sprinkler irrigation is one of the commonly used methods for sloping land. To improve water application uniformity for sprinkler irrigation on sloping land, an experiment was conducted on an artificial slope to determine the effects of pulsating versus constant pressure on sprinkler flow rate, radius of throw, water distribution pattern, and water application uniformity. Compared with sprinkler flow rate and water distribution uniformity at constant pressure, sprinkler flow rate was not reduced, but water distribution uniformity for a single sprinkler was improved due to the decreased uphill throw, downhill throw and the ratio of downhill throw to uphill throw at pulsating pressure. The Christiansen Uniformity Coefficient (CU) value of water distribution for a single sprinkler at pulsating pressure was about 10% higher than that of constant pressure. When water distribution of single sprinkler overlapped with rectangular arrangement, CU values for pulsating pressure were on average 4.06% higher than those for constant pressure with different sprinkler spacings. Thus, pulsating pressure is recommended for use in sprinkler irrigation on sloping land to improve water application uniformity.
Highlights
IntroductionSlope farmland totals about 33.33 million ha, covering 1/4 of the total cultivated area in
At present, slope farmland totals about 33.33 million ha, covering 1/4 of the total cultivated area inChina, and it is prevalent in many other areas of the world [1]
The pulsating pressure was produced by an automatic pressure control system that consisted of a programmable logic controller (PLC), variable-frequency drive (VFD), and a centrifugal pump with an electric motor
Summary
Slope farmland totals about 33.33 million ha, covering 1/4 of the total cultivated area in. China, and it is prevalent in many other areas of the world [1]. Drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation are commonly used methods for sloping land because of their good adaptability to complex terrain. Many studies focus on drip irrigation in a field with variable surface topography [3,4]. There is lack of studies regarding sprinkler irrigation on sloping land. Water distribution pattern for a single sprinkler on slope is different from that on flat ground. The water distribution curve is similar to a “heart” on slope, Water 2019, 11, 913; doi:10.3390/w11050913 www.mdpi.com/journal/water
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