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A NOTE to Instructors…

A NOTE to Instructors…. This PowerPoint… highlights the basics of irrigation systems and their role in agriculture.

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A NOTE to Instructors…

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  1. A NOTE to Instructors… • This PowerPoint… • highlights the basics of irrigation systems and their role in agriculture. • includes a handout for students to follow along with, “Check for Understanding” slides with questions to promote understanding and higher thinking, an activity, and an optional educational video (9:33 minutes) • The “Check for Understanding” questions are good questions to use for discussion starters. • Some notes are attached to slides that provide more background information for you, the instructor.

  2. IRRIGATION SYSTEMS: The Basics CLF 351: Irrigation Systems Amy Crockett AgEd 410 Fall 2013

  3. Today We Will… • Learn the basics of the four main irrigation systems • Handout • Demonstrate the use of irrigation systems in a production setting • Group Activity

  4. Introduction and History • Large percentage of earth's land receives less than 20 inches of rain/year • Farmers have had irrigated crops for over 4,000 years • Crops were irrigated along the Euphrates, Ganges, Nile and Tigris rivers as early as 2600 B.C. • Modern methods were started as little as 200 years ago

  5. The Basics Water requirements differ depending on 5 variables: • Crop • Climate • Season • Soil condition • Method of application Correct selection can: • Save labor and water • Assure increased crop yields

  6. Vocabulary • Irrigation: To supply dry land with water; water artificially • Slope: Elevation difference along the direction of irrigation • Ditch: A long narrow trench or furrow dug in the ground, as for irrigation, drainage, or a boundary line • Furrow: A trench plowed in the ground for planting

  7. Vocabulary (cont.) • Siphon: tube used to convey water up from a reservoir then down to a lower level through suction • Emitters: device used to transfer water from a pipe or tube to the area that is to be irrigated Infrastructure: Basic physical and organizational structure

  8. Irrigation System The four basic methods of irrigation: • Surface • Furrow • Sprinkler • Drip Each can be applied to various situations

  9. 1. Surface Irrigation • Includes: border, flood, level basin, and sloping • Used for orchards, vineyards, hay, pasture and cereal grains • Land must be leveled and graded/sloped - allows water to move down the field by gravity • A uniform slope of 0.1 - 0.4 % is used

  10. Border Flood

  11. 2. Furrow Irrigation • One of the most widely used methods • Efficient in water utilization, but high costs: - Labor to form and maintain the furrows, ditches, and irrigation cycle - Use of gates, siphons, etc. • Advantage: uniform crop maturity and applied water • Often used for row crops: broccoli, corn, cotton, etc.

  12. Furrow

  13. for Understanding! • 1) What is the importance of irrigation in today’s agriculture? • 2) Why is a slope necessary in surface and furrow irrigation? • 3) When looking at furrow irrigation the phrase “efficient in water utilization” was used. In your own words, what is efficient water utilization? Why is it important?

  14. 3. Sprinkler Irrigation • Used when flood or furrows are impractical • Crop height must be considered • Costs: - higher than for border/flood or furrow - more infrastructure • Used on crops like lettuce, alfalfa, and sod

  15. Sprinkler Examples

  16. Sprinkler Advantages • More uniform: - Wetting of the surface area - Seed germination • Salts can be washed away • Increased efficiency • Frost Protection • Slow rate of application reduces erosion, run-off and soil compaction

  17. 4. Drip Irrigation • Latest innovation in irrigation • Soil is wetted by water dripped through emitters • Lateral lines are connected to a main line • Water applied very slowly: 1 to 2gallons/hour/emitter • Common for tree, vine, and row crops

  18. Drip Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages: • Requires less water • Light weight, ease to move • Fertilizers and pesticides can be added • Used on steeper slope • Disadvantages: • High cost of installation • Increased maintenance • Salts accumulation on soil surface wetted boundaries

  19. for Understanding! • 1) Why is important to be conscious of the crop height when using sprinklers? • 2) Do the advantages of drip irrigation outweigh the disadvantages? • 3) What is infrastructure in relation to irrigation? Give examples

  20. Activity! • Number off 1-4 and divide into groups • Once in groups, choose an irrigation system to represent • Once system is assigned, come up with a crop that your system can irrigate • Discuss and record why you chose that crop and whether or not any of the other systems could work with your crop as well

  21. History Channel Video (optional) www.youtube.com/watch?v=24LJSJqpYuY Time: 9:33

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