Irrigation Design Research Articles

An Integrated Approach to Evaluating Crop Water Requirements and Irrigation Schedule for Optimizing Furrow Irrigation Design Parameters in Kurnool District, India

In Kurnool district, due to the hot, arid climatic conditions, proper study of crop evapotranspiration and its effect on crop water demand for various crops is an extremely important issue. More focus will be given to the design and development of surface irrigation systems based mostly on furrow irrigation, as the rainfall pattern for this district was irregular in 2005. The crop water requirement and furrow irrigation design parameters for optimising the beneficial utilisation of available water resources and field performances are studied in this research. Some major crops, such as cotton, sugarcane, sorghum, maize, and sunflower, are considered when adopting a suitable furrow irrigation system for soil conditions of the types black clay, red loamy, and medium loam. The reference crop evapotranspiration was estimated for 2005 based on the Penman–Monteith equation as per FAO guidelines by the CROPWAT 8.0 model. Crop Water Requirement (CWR), Net Irrigation Requirement (NIR), and Gross Irrigation Requirement (GIR) were determined for available climatic and soil conditions. Soil surface characteristics were studied using AQUACROP 6.1 and compared with CROPWAT 8.0 for model accuracy. Various conservative and non-conservative crop characteristics were studied under limited set conditions, and correlation equations were developed between different parameters. Moreover, different furrow irrigation design parameters were considered by FURDEV (a module of the SURDEV model) for three modes of operation (i.e., fixed flow, cutback flow, and tailwater reuse method) under modified SCS (Soil Conservation Service) families of soil infiltration characteristics. NIR values were 200 mm, 1423.2 mm, 220 mm, 150 mm, and 150 mm for cotton, sugarcane, maize, sorghum, and sunflower, respectively. A maximum significant dry yield was observed for maize (13.586 tonnes/ha). Additionally, the maximum application efficiency and storage efficiency were obtained at 95.5% for sorghum and 99.3% for sunflower, which would be a beneficial outcome of this research. In general, the results of this research might be very effective for the irrigation authority of Kurnool District to plan suitable approaches for designing and developing proper water management systems.

Irrigation design from below

Although often ignored or belittled by irrigation engineers and development planners, vernacular and counter designs in irrigation should be considered as valuable and complementary to the mainstream approaches of engineers and planners.

A Review of HYDRUS 2D/3D Applications for Simulations of Water Dynamics, Root Uptake and Solute Transport in Tree Crops under Drip Irrigation

Orchards with tree crops are of critical importance to the global economy and to the environment due to their ability to be productive for many years without the need for replanting. They are also better adapted to extreme climatic conditions compared to other crops. However, new challenges are emerging as climate change threatens both tree production and water supply. Drip irrigation (surface and subsurface) is an irrigation method that has the potential to save water and nutrients by placing water directly into the root zone and minimizing evaporation. Many irrigation designs and strategies have been tested to best perform drip irrigation for any given soil, crop and/or climate conditions. The researchers’ need to find the optimal combination of irrigation management and design in the most economical and effortless way led to the use of comprehensive numerical models such as HYDRUS 2D/3D. HYDRUS 2D/3D is a widely used mathematical model for studying vadose zone flow and transport processes. A review of HYDRUS 2D/3D applications for simulations of water dynamics, root uptake and solute transport under drip irrigation in the four most common categories of tree crops (citrus, olive, avocado and deciduous fruit/nuts) is presented in this study. The review promotes a better understanding of the effect of different drip irrigation designs and treatments, as well as the reliability provided by HYDRUS 2D/3D in the evaluation of the above. This manuscript also indicates gaps and future challenges regarding the use of the model in simulations of drip irrigation in tree crops.

Causes, Effects and Potential Health Risk of Gully Erosion Menace in Calabar Municipal: Residence Perspective

Purpose: The present study sought to investigate the potential health risk associated with gully erosion in addition to environment effect which is commonly investigated upon by researchers. The prevalence of gullies in Calabar Municipal was also a unique factor in this study.
 Methodology: Data were gathered from both primary and secondary sources. The main instrument for gathering primary data was the questionnaire design by the researcher and validated with a reliability coefficient of .76. Descriptive statistics of mean, and graphs were used to answer the research questions while the hypotheses were tested using dependent t-test at .05 level of significant.
 Findings: The findings revealed that human activities such as farming, intensive and short-period rainfall, improper land use, improper irrigation design, improper discharge of water in the channels¸ soil characteristics where the cause of gully erosion in the study area; while open grassing was not part of the cause of gully erosion in the study area. it was further discovered that effect of gully erosion included, Loss of farmland, threat to vegetations and biodiversity, loss of properties, increase poverty and famine, expansion of degraded land, increase surface runoff, low agricultural production, environmental destruction with significant health implication p<.00<.05.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study concluded that there is need for adequate funding, committed political will (not lip-service) and well-articulated sustainable policies are required in other to solve the problems of gully erosion in Calabar municipal.

Moisture content distribution model for the soil wetting body under moistube irrigation

This study investigated the moisture distribution characteristics of a soil wetting body under different influencing factors to inform the design and management of a moistube irrigation system. A mathematical model of soil moisture movement under moistube irrigation was established based on Hydrus-2D software. The suitability of the Hydrus-2D simulation model was verified by laboratory experiments. Numerical simulations were carried out with Hydrus-2D to investigate the influence of soil texture, initial moisture content, moistube specific discharge and irrigation time on the moisture distribution of a soil wetting body. The soil moisture content is highest at the moistube, and its value is related to the moistube-specific discharge and soil texture. The soil moisture content at any point in the wetting body decreased linearly with increasing distance from the wetting front to the moistube in the five set directions (vertical downward, 45° downward, horizontal, 45° upward and vertical upward). This trend is applicable to fine-textured and coarse-textured soil. An estimation model of soil moisture content including soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, initial soil moisture, the specific flow rate of the moistube and the maximum value of the wetting front distance in all directions is proposed. The model estimation is good (root mean square error = 0.008–0.018 cm3·cm−3, close to 0; Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient = 0.987, close to 1), and it can provide a practical tool for moistube irrigation design and agricultural water management.

Formation of a Favorable Filtration Regime of Soils in Saline Areas of the Danube Delta Rice Irrigation Systems

Abstract The environmental state of rice irrigation systems (RIS) is determined by many factors, including natural ones (soil, topographical, hydrogeological, and climatic factors) and technological ones (irrigation norm, design, and parameters of irrigation and drainage networks, etc). The most significant influence on the ecological reclamation state of the RIS carries is effected by its drainage network (DN). The need to maintain a flushing water regime with specific filtration rates to prevent secondary salinization in the Danube Delta’s rice systems is a crucial aspect of managing these agricultural areas. In the saline areas of rice systems located in the Danube Delta, the DN must ensure the maintenance of the flushing water regime with the rates of filtration ranging between 10 to 12 mm/day. This is a prerequisite for preventing secondary salinization of irrigated lands of these rice systems. According to the results of studies, the filtration from the surface of the irrigation checks of the Danube Delta RIS has been established, and its values in the area of the rice check vary significantly. Different intensity of filtration in the area of rice checks causes the difference in mineralization of groundwater and in the content of salts in the soil. This leads to the fact that the same rice check created various natural reclamation conditions and different productivity of cultivated crops.

Design and Implementation of Arduino-based Automatic Irrigation with Moisture Sensor

Design and Implementation of Arduino-based Automatic Irrigation with Moisture Sensor

Development of irrigation and hydrography networks of the Fergana region on the basis of GIS technologies, the content of the Elektron digital card

In this article, on the basis of the creation, grouping and classification of the database in the ArcGIS program, the content of the elekrton digital card based on the cartographic basis, design and methodology of irrigation and hydrography networks of the Fergana region and irrigation networks in the region for territorial organization was developed. Irrigation network data has been collected and processed using modern computer, geoengineering, and Internet technologies. Comprehensive analysis of data from large-time, large-scale and natural water networks has made it possible not only to represent on the card the digital characteristics of irrigation and melioration networks, which are necessary for more objective assessment and practical use of the economic processes of irrigation systems. Methods for converting irrigation network data to digital format have been developed, attribute data structures are formed that provide a unified cartographic space of the territory, complex irrigation networks are fundamental steps in creating models (algorithms) for using data in research. Creation of an irrigation card at the regional level. based on existing irrigation and melioration concepts and modern technological advances, methods for creating a digital card have been developed.

HYDRAULIC DESIGN AND SIMULATION OF DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS OF BLOCKS OPERATING IN TRICKLE IRRIGATION

There is little open-source software for trickle irrigation design and none of it is designed to simulate operating conditions on a specific hydraulic network already assembled in the field. Farmers employing trickle irrigation frequently need to change irrigation block operations over the years (parcel combinations), because of plant renovations in certain areas of the irrigated field or the adoption of precision irrigation. This work free software developed using Visual Basic® language that is able to simulate different block combinations of parcels, taking into consideration the pump parameters of flowrate, pressure, power requirements and efficiency and the main hydraulic network parameters of water speed, pressure and head loss. The software we developed was applied to a trickle irrigation system for citrus growing. The equations used to calculate head loss were Hazen-Williams and Darcy-Weisbach, and users could choose between these two equations depending on their application. The software worked efficiently for making the hydraulic calculations, providing simulations that graphically assisted users in choosing which combination of operation parcels (block combinations) and pump parameters (rotation speed and impeller diameter) for optimal operation of the irrigation system. The program ensured that the pressure along the irrigation network was compatible with the nominal operating pressure of the pipeline and safety valves.

An infiltration calibration method for small‐scale basin irrigated fields considering land surface microtopography1

AbstractIn small‐scale basins, where laser levelling is not possible, the process of land surface levelling is not accurate. Under such conditions, the land surface microtopography can alter the infiltration parameter and irrigation design criteria. This study investigated the effect of microtopography on basin irrigation infiltration parameters. Three experimental basins with different dimensions were selected and irrigated in three replicates. An infiltration calibration method was presented by assuming homogenous slope conditions, which use the zero‐inertia model. This method was modified by considering heterogeneous slope conditions. By assuming a homogenous slope condition, the results showed that the differences between the observed and estimated parameters, including advance time, recession time and surface storage volume of water, were statistically significant at the 5% level. By considering heterogonous slope conditions, the estimated infiltration values were more accurate than those under homogenous slope conditions. The average volume balance error was 0.19 (assuming homogenous slope conditions); however, by considering heterogeneous slope conditions, this parameter was 0.081. These results show the necessity of considering microtopography conditions for calibrating infiltration equation parameters of basin irrigation.

Hydraulic calculation lateral in drip irrigation

Drip irrigation systems are widely used worldwide to satisfy the water demand of agricultural crops. It is known that drip irrigation technology has a number of other advantages, such as intensive irrigation, automation, and water economical benefits. The methods which is available in hydraulics are widely used in the calculation of drip irrigation design. One of the most important issues in the drip irrigation system is the correct estimation of the discharge coming out of the drippers. As known from hydraulic calculations, it is necessary to take into account the pressure when determining the discharge coming out of the emitters. It should also be noted that discharge from emitters has a special effect on pressure losses in drip irrigation systems. The article presents the results of the research conducted in natural field conditions on the assessment of hydraulic processes in drip irrigation systems. As an object of research, the cultivated field of the “Sharifjan oglu Akhmadjon” farm in Rishton district, Fergana region was selected. The results of measurement work at 36 points of the research object are highlighted. As a result of the conducted research, recommendations for determining discharge in irrigation pipes were developed.

Water Footprint Assessment for Irrigated Paddy Cultivation in Walawe Irrigation Scheme, Sri Lanka

Water footprint (WF) is a comprehensive summation of the volume of freshwater consumed directly and indirectly in all the steps of the production chain of a product. The water footprint concept has been widely used in agricultural water resources management. Water for irrigation is supplied in Sri Lanka to farmers at no cost, and thus the question is arising, whether the current management strategies the authorities and the farmers follow are appropriate to achieve productive water utilization. Therefore, this study aims at evaluating the water footprint of rice production in an irrigation scheme in the dry zone of Sri Lanka, the Walawe irrigation scheme. Due to the unreliability of the rainfall in the study area paddy cultivation depends entirely on irrigation, thus, the WFblue, in other terms the volume of water evaporated from the irrigation water supply is considered as the total WF (WFtot) in this study. Actual crop evapotranspiration (equivalent to ETblue) was estimated based on the Penman-Monteith (P-M) model integrating effective rainfall, and crop coefficient published in Sri Lankan Irrigation Design Guidelines. The study spanned for three irrigation years from 2018–2021. Actual irrigation water issued to the field was estimated based on the data recorded by the government body responsible for irrigation water management of the area—Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka. The total volume of percolated water was computed employing the water balance method while assuming runoff is negligible. Results show that the average annual WFblue found to be 2.27 m3/kg, which is higher than global and national WFtot. As the crop yield in the study area (6.5 ton/ha) is also higher than the global (4.49 ton/ha) and national (3.5 ton/ha) yields, a conclusion was drawn that the irrigation water usage (CWUTblue) in the area may be significantly higher. It was then noted the higher CWUTblue was due to relatively higher evapotranspiration in the area. Thus, it is vital to reduce excess water usage by shifting irrigation practices from flooded irrigation to the System of Rice Intensification (SRI).

A smart surface irrigation design based on the topographical and geometrical shape characteristics of the land

Designing an efficient irrigation system on the farmland is a challenging issue which is dependent on many characteristics of the farmland. In this paper, the topographical and geometrical characteristics of the land are analyzed for designing an efficient furrow surface irrigation system. The topographical characteristics of the farmland can be changed in the cultivation process, so designing an efficient irrigation system requires modeling the last state of the topographical and geometrical characteristics of the land. The proposed method uses the digital elevation model, aspect of the slope and slope model of the land as topographical information and geometrical shape of the land as geometrical information. It designs the irrigation system at the field level for delivering water from the inlet of the land to the plants and uses a two steps designing strategy. First, the algorithm segments the land based on the topographical characteristics and geometrical shape into some plots. Then the ditches network is designed based on the topographical data and the geometrical shape of the land for providing water to the head ditch of each plot. The proposed method designs an efficient furrow irrigation system based on many well-known metrics. It was evaluated in an experimental field and compared with the traditional farmer designed irrigation system and two other normal irrigation systems. The evaluation shows that the proposed method can improve efficiency by decreasing the used water and irrigation time by about 50%.

Research on the Design and Management of Irrigation and Water Conservancy in Land Arrangement

Research on the Design and Management of Irrigation and Water Conservancy in Land Arrangement

Simplified approach for determination of parameters for Kostiakov's infiltration equation

Abstract Knowledge of soil infiltration characteristics is required increasingly for the proper design and efficient management of irrigation. Various empirical and physically based infiltration models have been used for several years, but the practical use of many is limited by parameter determination problems, which, in turn, are influenced by factors acting at the surface and within the soil, initial and boundary conditions, etc. In this study, a simplified approach for determining parameters for the Kostiakov equation was tested and validated. The equation's linearized form, using logarithmic transformation and field data collected from five sites, was employed. The results show that cumulative infiltration can be described well using the approach. Its quality is also confirmed by performance indices like R2 and standard error, whose values ranged from 0.985 to 0.999 and 0.020 to 0.005, respectively, suggesting that the simplified approach described is sufficient for practical purposes, when data are too scarce to apply other, complex methods to predict cumulative infiltration.

A Methodology for Checking the Validity of an Existing Contour Map Using RTK-GPS and GIS

This paper presents a methodology for checking the validity of the height information of an existing contour map using RTK-GPS measurements and GIS analysis. In particular, 3D profiles were measured in the field by RTK-GPS. The same 3D profiles were extracted from a scanned and geo-referenced contour map using GIS. The height information from the two data sets of 3D profiles were compared in the absolute and relative sense. Thiscomparison reveals two aspects about the two data sets. First, the two data sets from the RTK-GPS measurementsand the existing maps are very similar in terms of shape, which suggest that both of them they capture the same underlying trend of the topography. Second, the maximum relative RMSE is  0.939 m in the first 3D profile that goes from the west to the east. The relative RMSE is a very important measure since it does not depend on the changes that may happened to the vertical datum (benchmark). These two findings leave us with two options. First, to accept the existing contour map; and this acceptance should be judged in light of the overall requirements and the design criteria of the project. For example, a global compensation can be made to accommodate the maximum variation in the topographic surface for an irrigation project. This compensation does not give any information about the local variation of the topography that may impact, for instance, a pivot irrigation design. Second, to redo the survey work. Indeed, both options are associated with obvious and hidden risks that may not be trivial during thedesign stage of the project. The first option can be accepted on the basis of a global compensation parameters that will be obtained from the comparison tests. And the second option will come with an instantaneous financial burden.

ANALISIS KEMAMPUAN SISTEM IRIGASI TETES BERTINGKAT DALAM PEMBERIAN LENGAS TANAH PADA POLYBAG

In increasing the supply of food in residential areas, it is necessary to encourage the use of land and water sources in the yard even though the land area is limited. The design of multilevel drip irrigation may be an option in these housings, and therefore it is necessary to test and determine the ability of the irrigation to discharge, uniformity and soil moisture produced. This study aims to determine the effect of using inch PVC pipe as a secondary network on discharge, uniformity (CU) and soil moisture (w) in a multilevel drip irrigation system. Experiments were carried out with a 150 liter reservoir water source 3 m high, soil moisture test with a test duration of 5 minutes, 10 minutes and 15 minutes. Data analysis was carried out on discharge data (Q), irrigation volume and soil moisture. The research results are presented in tables, graphs and concluded descriptively. The results showed that the secondary pipe flow rate was Q1 822.54 cm3/sec, Q2 107.47 cm3/sec and Q3 15.39 cm3/sec. Irrigation uniformity in TSK irrigation operations obtained CU of 72.67% and in SK obtained CU of about 51.49% to 89.34%. Soil moisture produced at a duration of 5 minutes, 10 minutes and 15 minutes with an initial soil moisture condition range of 14%-28%, the results on the 1st floor (w1) ranged from 41%-50%, for the second floor w2 it was around 31%-45 % and on the third floor w3 around 25%-40%

Potential Impacts of Improper Irrigation System Design

This publication discusses a few major consequences of improper irrigation design. Written by Haimanote K. Bayabil, Sandra M. Guzman, Fedro S. Zazueta, and Dorota Z. Haman, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, revised August 2022.

Analysis of the Design and Construction of Small Irrigation and Water Conservancy Channels

Analysis of the Design and Construction of Small Irrigation and Water Conservancy Channels

ClimaSG: A weather generator for crop modelling and water requirements studies

A new stochastic weather generator, ClimaSG, is presented and evaluated under a wide range of climates. The model requires monthly means data as inputs to generate daily weather data. Validation tests revealed that ClimaSG performed well in capturing monthly rainfall variability but showed some limitations for generating extreme temperatures. Solar radiation, air humidity, and wind speed were reproduced acceptably. The weather generator was particularly accurate in predicting mean and extreme values of ET0, which indicates that ClimaSG may be used as the basis for calculating crop water requirements and for irrigation design and planning purposes. The suitability of synthetic weather series generated with ClimaSG for crop modelling applications was further assessed by running the model OliveCan for low density rainfed (LD) and super high density irrigated (SHD) olive orchards for several locations in Spain. Yield distributions simulated with synthetic weather rarely differed significantly from those obtained with actual weather data, although the coefficient of variation (CV) was usually underestimated. Considering its low input requirements and satisfactory performance, ClimaSG represents a promising source of weather data for different practical applications.