Microirrigation

Microirrigation
• Delivery of water at low flow rates through
various types of water applicators by a
distribution system located on the soil surface,
beneath the surface, or suspended above the
ground
• Water is applied as drops, tiny streams, or spray,
through emitters, sprayers, or porous tubing
Water Application Characteristics
• Low rates
• Over long periods of time
• At frequent intervals
• Near or directly into the root zone
• At low pressure
• Usually maintain relatively high water content
• Used on higher value agricultural/horticultural
crops and in landscapes and nurseries
Schematic of a Typical Microirrigation System
 Advantages
• High application efficiency
• High yield/quality
• Decreased energy requirements
• Reduced salinity hazard
• Adaptable for chemigation
• Reduced weed growth and disease problems
• Can be highly automated
 Disadvantages
• High initial cost
• Maintenance requirements (emitter
clogging, etc.)
• Restricted plant root development
• Salt accumulation near plants (along the
edges of the wetted zone) 
Salt Movement Under Irrigation with Saline Water
Subsurface Drip Sprinkler/Flood

Salt accumulation leached

Salt accumulation leached downward by successive water
radially outward from drip applications
tubing
 Types of Systems
•  Surface trickle (drip)
– Water applied through small emitter openings
to the soil surface (normally less than 3 gal/hr
per emitter)
– Most prevalent type of microirrigation
– Can inspect, check wetting patterns, and
measure emitter discharges
Point Source Emitters in a New Orchard
 Types of Systems Contd…
Contd
• Spray
– Water applied (spray, jet, fog, mist) to the soil
surface at low pressure (normally less than about 1
gal/min per spray applicator)
– Aerial distribution of water as opposed to soil
distribution
– Reduced filtration and maintenance requirements
because of higher flow rate
 Types of Systems Contd…
• Bubbler
– Water applied as a small stream to flood the soil
surface in localized areas (normally less than about
1 gal/min per discharge point)
– Application rate usually greater than the soil's
infiltration rate (because of small wetted diameter)
– Minimal filtration and maintenance requirements
 Types of Systems Contd…
Contd
• Subsurface trickle
– Water applied through small emitter openings
below the soil surface
– Basically a surface system that's been buried
(few inches to a couple feet)
– Permanent installation that is "out of the way"
 Typical Subsurface Drip Tubing Installation for Row Crops

30 in
Non Wheel-
Track Row

12 – 14 in

Drip Tubing

Wetting Pattern
60 in
60-inch dripline spacing is satisfactory on silt loam & clay loam soils
 System Components
•  Pump
•  Control head
– Filters
– Chemical injection equipment (tanks, injectors,
backflow prevention, etc.)
– Flow measurement devices
– Valves
– Controllers
– Pressure regulators
 System Components, Contd…
Contd
• Mainlines and Submains (manifolds)
– Often buried and nearly always plastic (PVC)
• Laterals
– Plastic (PE)
– Supply water to emitters (sometimes "emitters"
are part of the lateral itself)
 Applicator Hydraulics
• General
– Need pressure in pipelines to distribute water
through the system, but the applicator needs to
dissipate that pressure
q  KH x
e
– qe = emitter discharge
– K = emitter discharge coefficient
– H = pressure head at the emitter
– X = emitter discharge exponent
(varies with emitter type)
Characteristics of Various Types of Emitters
 Emitter Hydraulics
  Emitter Discharge, gpm

Operating Pressure
Emitter Type

8 psi 12 psi 16 psi

Coefficient, K - Exponent, X

Porous Pipe - 0.112 1.00 2.07 3.1 4.14

Tortuous Path 0.112 0.65 0.75 0.97 1.17

Vortex/Orifice 0.112 0.42 0.38 0.45 0.51

Compensating 0.112 0.20 0.20 0.22 0.23

Estimating Emitter Exponent & Coefficient
Requires discharges qe1, qe2 at two pressures h1, h2
• Emitter Exponent

log(qe1 / qe 2)
x
log(h1 / h 2)
• Emitter Coefficient
q1 q2
K x or K x
h1 h2
 Applicator Hydraulics Contd…
Contd
• Emitters (Point Source)
– Long-path
– Orifice
– Vortex
– Pressure compensating (x < 0.5)
– Flushing
• Line-source tubing
– Porous-wall tubing (pores of capillary size that ooze water)
– Single-chamber tubing (orifices in the tubing or pre-inserted
emitters)
– Double-chamber tubing (main and auxiliary passages)
 – Sprayers
• Foggers, spitters, misters, etc
• Relatively uniform application over the wetted area
• Lateral hydraulics
– Very much like sprinkler hydraulics, but on a smaller
scale
– Since there is usually a large number of emitters,
multiple outlet factor (F)  0.35
Other Design and Management Issues
•  Clogging
– Physical (mineral particles)
– Chemical (precipitation)
– Biological (slimes, algae, etc.)
• Filtration
– Settling basins
– Sand separators (centrifugal or cyclone
separators)
– Media (sand) filters
– Screen filters
There
There areare many
many different
different types
types
of
of filtration
filtration systems.
systems.

The
The type
type is
                          

is dictated
dictated by
by
the
the water
water source
source and
and
also
also by
by emitter
emitter size.
size.
Filtration Requirements for Drip Emitters

Filter openings should be

1/7th – 1/10th the size of
the emitter orifice

0.020-inch orifice
Plugging Potential of Irrigation Water for
Microirrigation
• Chemical treatment
– Acid: prevent calcium precipitation
– Chlorine
• control biological activity: algae and bacterial slime
• deliberately precipitate iron
•  Flushing
– after installation or repairs, and as part of routine
maintenance
– valves or other openings at the end of all pipes, including
laterals
• Application uniformity
– manufacturing variation
– pressure variations in the mainlines and laterals
– pressure-discharge relationships of the applicators
 Subsurface Drip Irrigation
Advantages
• High water application efficiency
• Uniform water application
• Lower pressure & power requirements
• Adaptable to any field shape
• No dry corners (vs. center pivot)
• Adaptable to automation
 Subsurface Drip Irrigation
Disadvantages
• High initial cost
• Water filtration required
• Complex maintenance requirements
– Flushing, Chlorination, Acid injection
• Susceptible to gopher damage
• Salt leaching limitations
 Subsurface Drip-Center Pivot Comparison
(¼-Section Field; ET = 0.25 in/day)

Subsurface Drip Center Pivot

Area Irrigated 160 acres 125 acres
Initial Cost $800-1000/acre $280-360/acre
Irrigation Efficiency 90-95% 70-85%
Water Requirement 5.0-5.3 gpm/acre 5.5-6.8 gpm/acre
Operating Pressure 10-20 psi 25-35 psi
Energy Requirement 36 hp-hr/ac-in 48 hp-hr/ac-in
(250-ft lift, ¼ mile supply line)
Gopher Damage on Subsurface Drip Tubing
Schematic of Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) System

Filtration
System Flowmeter Backflow
Prevention Pump
Device Station
Chemical
Injection
System

Submain
X
X X X
Air & Vacuum
Release Valve
Dripline Zones
Pressure Gage
Laterals 1 and
2
x
Flush Valve

X X X Zone Valve
Flushline
Diagram courtesy of Kansas State University
 Netafim Typhoon® Drip Irrigation Tubing
(Clear Demo Tubing)
16-mm diameter, seamless, 13-mil thick extruded PE tubing

Emitter outlet

Turbulent flow PVC emitter welded inside tubing

Netafim Typhoon® Drip Irrigation Tubing

Flap over emitter outlet:

- prevents root intrusion
- prevents blockage by mineral scale
 Typical Drip Tubing Installation for Row Crops

30 in
Non Wheel-
Track Row

12 – 14 in

Drip Tubing

Wetting Pattern
60 in
60-inch dripline spacing is satisfactory on silt loam & clay loam soils
Wetting Pattern of a Subsurface Drip Lateral

Photo Courtesy of Kansas State University

Wider
Wider dripline
dripline spacings
spacings may
may not
not work.
work.

Photo Courtesy of Kansas State University

 SDI System Maintenance
• Lateral flushing schedule
(sediment)
• Chlorine injection schedule
(biological growths)
• Acid injection schedule
(chemical precipitates & scaling)
Salt Movement Under Irrigation with Saline Water
Subsurface Drip Sprinkler/Flood

Salt accumulation leached Salt accumulation leached

radially outward from drip downward by successive water
tubing applications
Small research plots during supply line installation
Plowing in drip tubing
Trenching across the drip tubing ends for PVC manifold installation
Drip tubing end after being sheared by the trencher
Components for Drip Lateral-Submain Connection
21/32” Hole in Submain Stainless Steel Wire Twist Tie

Neoprene Grommet

5/8” Polyethylene
Polyethylene Supply Tube
Barb Adapter (Usually 2-3 ft long)

5/8” Drip Irrigation Tubing

Typical Drip Tubing Connection to Submain
(1 ½ -inch Submains and Larger)
Supply Submain or Flushing Manifold
Stainless Steel
Neoprene Grommet Inserted Wire Twist Tie
in 21/32” hole in manifold

5/8” Polyethylene
Supply Tubing 5/8” Drip
Irrigation Tubing
Polyethylene Barb Adapter
Inserted in Grommet

Identical connection on distal end for flushing manifold connection

Flush Risers on Distal End of Research Plots
Air Vent to Release
Trapped Air from Laterals

Ball Valve for Manual

Flushing of Drip Laterals
 SDI Water Application Rates
(inches/hour)
(60-inch tubing spacing)

Emitter Spacing
12 inches 18 inches 24 inches
Emitter Discharge

0.16 gph 0.043 0.034 0.026

0.21 gph 0.056 0.045 0.034

0.33 gph 0.088 0.071 0.053

0.53 gph 0.142 0.113 0.085