Farming is one of the most emphasized activities in most, if not all, cultures. This is because agriculture is one of the ways we get to feed our families. It is also the backbone of most families; therefore, ensuring practical farming is necessary to keep the family. In most cases, farmers will depend on rainfall to water their crops. However, in dry seasons, one may consider irrigation to control the flow of water intact and adequate for the plants.
Irrigation is an alternative to rainfall to copy rainfall’s effects. Irrigation is the act of collecting water from a local source and utilizing it to irrigate land that has been planted with crops. Water may be obtained from various sources, including wells, surface water, rivers, lakes, and mountain streams. The most common problem is locating a reliable source of water capable of irrigating the area. To get more advice on irrigation, how it is done, and ensuring effective irrigation services in Kansas may be of great help.
Listed below are some of the four different types of irrigation you can incorporate for adequate irrigation
- Surface irrigation
Surface irrigation is perhaps the most simple and widely utilized kind of irrigation. It employs gravity to pull water from a higher section of land to the fields. However, the slopes must be steep enough to allow water to flow but not so steep that the field floods. The primary benefit of this form of irrigation is that it does not require any complex technology to function. It works in 3 different types, basin, furrow, and border irrigation. This method is efficient and cost-effective.
- Sprinkler irrigation
Sprinkler irrigation employs a network of pipes to transport water from a source to specifically constructed spray heads. Water must be pushed through the pipes to provide the desired pressure, which must be regulated so that the fields are not overwatered. Different types of nozzles may be utilized, and it is critical to select the correct one for the crops being produced. One of the benefits of using a sprinkler system is that it can be utilized on any soil and at any slope.
- Subsurface irrigation
Subsurface irrigation employs a network of pipes to irrigate crops beneath the soil’s surface. This enables more effective hydration of plant roots, which is especially significant for high-value crops that are costly to cultivate. Once implemented, this form of irrigation requires less maintenance, resulting in staff cost savings. . It is also very efficient since water does not evaporate as it does with other types of irrigation. However, certain drawbacks may make subsurface irrigation less appealing. For instance, this form of irrigation is expensive to construct, and the little pipes in the soil can be damaged by agricultural machinery and blocked by plant roots.
- Drip irrigation
Drip irrigation functions similarly to the subsurface method, except the pipes are positioned on the soil’s surface. They water only the plants within their reach due to their design, hence are suitable for crops in a row. Because this form of irrigation is suitable for every soil type and degree of slope, it may be employed regardless of the crops cultivated. However, this is an expensive method to install.
In conclusion, to ensure adequate irrigation, understanding the different types of irrigation is paramount.
