Saint Louis University

College of Engineering and Architecture

Department of Civil Engineering

METHODS OF FIELD WATER IRRIGATION

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

in CE 513 – Water Resources Engineering
2nd Semester, S.Y. 2018-2019

By
BERGANIO, Robin James V.
CACHERO, Jan Eldrick C.
MANUEL, Jerome P.
QUINTO, Jasper F.
VELASCO, Joseph B.
AQUINO, Anna Lorraine V.
CAMACHO, Jasmin P.
FLORES, Rochelle Mary S.
GARCIA, Haya Lei E.

To
Engr. Arjay B. Cuh-ing
CE

March 22, 2019

Methods of Field Water Irrigation
1. Surface irrigation

This is where water is applied and distributed over the soil surface by gravity. It is by far the most
common form of irrigation throughout the world and has been practiced in many areas virtually
unchanged for thousands of years.

Surface irrigation is often referred to as flood irrigation, implying that the water distribution is
uncontrolled and therefore, inherently inefficient. In reality, some of the irrigation practices grouped
under this name involve a significant degree of management. Surface irrigation comes in three major
types; level basin, furrow and border strip.

4 Phases of Surface Irrigation

1. Advance phase- refers to that length of time as water is applied to the top end of the field and
flows or advances over the field length
2. Storage phase- the period of time between the end of the advance phase and the shut-off of the
inflow
3. Depletion phase- short period of time after cut-off when the length of the field is still submerged
4. Recession phase -describes the time period while the water front is retreating towards the
downstream end of the field

Types of Surface Irrigation

1. Furrow irrigation
Furrow irrigation is conducted by creating small parallel channels along the field length in the
direction of predominant slope. Water is applied to the top end of each furrow and flows down the field
under the influence of gravity. Water may be supplied using gated pipe, siphon and head ditch, or bank
less systems. The speed of water movement is determined by many factors such as slope, surface
roughness and furrow shape but most importantly by the inflow rate and soil infiltration rate.
The spacing between adjacent furrows is governed by the crop species, common spacings
typically range from 0.75 to 2 meters. The crop is planted on the ridge between furrows which may
contain a single row of plants or several rows in the case of a bed type system. Furrows may range
anywhere from less than 100 m to 2000 m long depending on the soil type, location and crop type.
Shorter furrows are commonly associated with higher uniformity of application but result in increasing
potential for runoff losses.
Furrow irrigation is particularly suited to broad-acre row crops such as cotton, maize and sugar
cane. It is also practiced in various horticultural industries such as citrus, stone fruit and tomatoes. The
water can take a considerable period of time to reach the other end, meaning water has been
infiltrating for a longer period of time at the top end of the field. This results in poor uniformity with
high application at the top end with lower application at the bottom end. In most cases the performance
 of furrow irrigation can be improved through increasing the speed at which water moves along the field
(the advance rate).
This can be achieved through increasing flow rates or through the practice of surge irrigation.
Increasing the advance rate not only improves the uniformity but also reduces the total volume of water
required to complete the irrigation.

2. Bay/Border Strip Irrigation

Border strip, otherwise known as border check or bay irrigation could be considered as a hybrid
of level basin and furrow irrigation. The field is divided into a number of bays or strips, each bay is
separated by raised earth check banks (borders). The bays are typically longer and narrower compared
to basin irrigation and are orientated to align lengthwise with the slope of the field. Typical bay
dimensions are between 10-70m wide and 100-700m long. The water is applied to the top end of the
bay, which is usually constructed to facilitate free-flowing conditions at the downstream end. One
common use of this technique includes the irrigation of pasture for dairy production.

3. Check Basin Irrigation

These are rectangular or square small plots surrounded by levees or checks. Is used in Crops
roots which required submergence in water for periods longer than 24 hours, i.e. Potatoes, beet,
carrots, rise, citrus, banana, clover, tobacco. Checks, rectangular or square, with sizes, varying from
about 10 to 100 square meters or even more, are used. The basins are leveled in both directions. Slopes
up to two to three per cent can be irrigated by using this method with a good control on irrigation water
and high water-application efficiency. On steeper slopes, this method can be used after proper
terracing. The limitations of this method are that it has too many ridges which not only occupy the land
but also hinder inter culture and harvesting with mechanical means.

4. Ring Basin Irrigation

It is commonly used for widely spaced orchard crop to irrigate individual trees or groups of trees. The
important consideration in the case of the ring and basin method is to wet the soil only around the tree
and not the entire land, thus economizing on the water.

2. Sub Surface Irrigation

Subsurface irrigation uses a network of polyethylene pipes located just under the ground's surface to
apply disinfected effluent in the root zone of plants, preventing airborne drift and minimizing runoff. Note that
effluent that has not been disinfected, such as from septic tanks and most wet composting toilets, must be
disposed of below the soil (at least 300 millimeters deep).
 Subsurface irrigation requires less maintenance than surface irrigation, and there is also less chance of
surface saturation and effluent runoff. By reducing the chance of human contact, it also significantly reduces
the public health risks.

Common problems with subsurface irrigation are:

 Not enough irrigation lines to adequately distribute effluent over the required area.

 Irrigation lines becoming blocked or damaged.

 System not designed or approved for its location.

 No service agreement with a qualified service provider for regular maintenance and inspections.

2. A. Natural Sub-Surface Irrigation

When underground irrigation is achieved simply by natural process without having any kind of extra efforts
or additional efforts, it is known as natural sub-surface irrigation. It is less costly. Leakage water from channels
etc. goes underground and during passage through subsoil, it may irrigate crops, sown lowers lands by
capillarity.

1. Under favorable conditions of topography and soil conditions, the water table may be close enough to
the root zone of the field of crops which gets its moisture due to the upward capillary movement of
water from the water table. The natural presence of the water table may not be able to supply the
requisite water throughout the crop growing season.
2. However, it may be done artificially by constructing deep channels in the field which may be filled with
water at all times to ensure the presence of water table at a desired elevation below the root zone
depth. Though this method of irrigation is excellent from both water distribution and labor saving points
of view, it is favorable mostly for the following:

 The soil in the root zone should be quite permeable

 There should be an impermeable substratum below the water table to prevent deep percolation of
water.
 There must be abundant supply of quality water that is one which is salt free, otherwise there are
chances of upward movement of these salts along with the moisture likely to lead the conditions of salt
incrustation on the surface.

2. B. Artificial Subsurface-Irrigation
When an open jointed drainage system is laid artificially, below the soil, to supply water to crops by
capillarity is known as artificial subsurface-irrigation. It is very costly process. It may be recommended only in
some special case with favorable soil condition and cash crops of very high return.
 1. The concept of maintaining a suitable water table just below the root zone is obtained by providing
perforated pipes laid in a network pattern below the soil surface at a desired depth. This method of
irrigation will function only if the soil in the root zone has high horizontal permeability to permit free
lateral movement of water and low vertical permeability to prevent deep percolation of water.
2. For uniform distribution of water percolating into the soil, the pipes are required to be very closely
spaced, say at about 0.5m. Further, in order to avoid interference with cultivation the pipes have to be
buried not less than about 0.4m below the ground surface.
3. This method of irrigation is not very popular because of the high expenses involved, unsuitable
distribution of subsurface moisture in many cases, and possibility of clogging of the perforation of the
pipes.

3. Sprinkler irrigation
Sprinkler irrigation is a method of applying irrigation water which is similar to natural rainfall.
Water is distributed through a system of pipes usually by pumping. It is then sprayed into the air
through sprinklers so that it breaks up into small water drops which fall to the ground. The pump supply
system, sprinklers and operating conditions must be designed to enable a uniform application of water.
It is suited for most row, field and tree crops and water can be sprayed over or under the crop
canopy. However, large sprinklers are not recommended for irrigation of delicate crops such as lettuce
because the large water drops produced by the sprinklers may damage the crop.
It is adaptable to any farmable slope, whether uniform or undulating. The lateral pipes supplying
water to the sprinklers should always be laid out along the land contour whenever possible. This will
minimize the pressure changes at the sprinklers and provide a uniform irrigation.

A typical sprinkler irrigation system consists of the following components:

 Pump unit
 Mainline
 Laterals
 Sprinklers

4. Drip Irrigation

Drip irrigation is a type of micro-irrigation system that has the potential to save water and nutrients by
allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either from above the soil surface or buried below the
surface. The goal is to place water directly into the root zone and minimize evaporation. Drip irrigation systems
distribute water through a network of valves, pipes, tubing, and emitters. Depending on how well designed,
installed, maintained, and operated it is, a drip irrigation system can be more efficient than other types of
irrigation systems, such as surface irrigation or sprinkler irrigation.
Drip irrigation is used in farms, commercial greenhouses, and residential gardeners. Drip irrigation is
adopted extensively in areas of acute water scarcity and especially for crops and trees such as coconuts,
containerized landscape trees, grapes, bananas, ber, eggplant, citrus, strawberries, sugarcane, cotton, maize,
and tomatoes.
 Drip irrigation for garden available in drip kits are increasingly popular for the homeowner and consist of
a timer, hose and emitter. Hoses that are 4 mm in diameter are used to irrigate flower pots

The advantages of drip irrigation are:

 Fertilizer and nutrient loss is minimized due to a localized application and reduced leaching.
 Water application efficiency is high if managed correctly.
 Field leveling is not necessary.
 Fields with irregular shapes are easily accommodated.


The disadvantages of drip irrigation are:

 Initial cost can be more than overhead systems.

 The sun can affect the tubes used for drip irrigation, shortening their lifespan. (See Polymer degradation);
 The risks of degrading plastic affecting the soil content and food crops. With many types of plastic, when
the sun degrades the plastic, causing it to become brittle, the estrogenic chemicals (that is, chemicals
replicating female hormones) which would cause the plastic to retain flexibility have been released into the
surrounding environment.

 If the water is not properly filtered and the equipment not properly maintained, it can result in clogging
or bio clogging.

REFFERENCES

Prins, K. (n.d.). CHOOSING AN IRRIGATION METHOD. Irrigation Water Management: Irrigation Methods.
Retrieved March 17, 2019, from http://www.fao.org/3/s8684e/s8684e08.htm

Reedley Irrigation & Supply. (2019). Drip Irrigation. Maximize Your Water Deliveries with a Drip Irrigation System.
Retrieved March 17, 2019, from http://reedleyirrigation.com/drip-irrigation/

Subsurface irrigation. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2019, from https://www.waternsw.com.au/water-

quality/catchment/living/wastewater/systems/subsurface-irrigation.