Search results for: sprinkler irrigation system

Authors: Manal Osman

Abstract:

Sprinkler irrigation system became more popular to reduce water consumption and increase irrigation efficiency. The water distribution uniformity plays an important role in the performance of the sprinkler irrigation system. The use of low operating pressure instead of high operating pressure can be achieved many benefits including energy and water saving. An experimental study was performed to investigate the water distribution uniformity of the solid-set sprinkler irrigation system under low operating pressure. Different low operating pressures (62, 82, 102 and 122 kPa) were selected. The range of operating pressure was lower than the recommended in the previous studies to investigate the effect of low pressure on the water distribution uniformity. Different nozzle diameters (4, 5, 6 and 7 mm) were used. The outdoor single sprinkler test was performed. The water distribution of single sprinkler, the coefficients of uniformity such as coefficient of uniformity (CU), distribution uniformity of low quarter (DUlq), distribution uniformity of low half (DUlh), coefficient of variation (CV) and the distribution characteristics like rotation speed, throw radius and overlapping distance are presented in this paper.

Keywords: low operating pressure, sprinkler irrigation system, water distribution uniformity

Procedia PDF Downloads 551

Authors: Ismail Tas, Yusuf Ersoy Yildirim, Yavuz Fatih Fidantemiz, Aysegul Boyacioglu, Demet Uygan, Ozgur Ates, Erdinc Savasli, Oguz Onder, Murat Tugrul

Abstract:

The biggest input of agricultural production is irrigation, water and energy. Although it varies according to the conditions in drip and sprinkler irrigation systems compared to surface irrigation systems, there is a significant amount of energy expenditure. However, this expense not only increases the user's control over the irrigation water but also provides an increase in water savings and water application efficiency. Thus, while irrigation water is used more effectively, it also contributes to reducing production costs. The Mobile Drip Irrigation System (MDIS) is a system in which new technologies are used, and it is one of the systems that are thought to play an important role in increasing the irrigation water utilization rate of plants and reducing water losses, as well as using irrigation water effectively. MDIS is currently considered the most effective method for irrigation, with the development of both linear and central motion systems. MDIS is potentially more advantageous than sprinkler irrigation systems in terms of reducing wind-induced water losses and reducing evaporation losses on the soil and plant surface. Another feature of MDIS is that the sprinkler heads on the systems (such as the liner and center pivot) can remain operational even when the drip irrigation system is installed. This allows the user to use both irrigation methods. In this study, the effect of MDIS and linear sprinkler irrigation method on sugar beet yield at different irrigation water levels will be revealed.

Keywords: MDIS, linear sprinkler, sugar beet, irrigation efficiency

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Authors: Yara Elborolosy, Harsho Sanyal, Joseph Cataldo

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Two methods of irrigation, drip and sprinkler, were studied to determine the response of the Javits green roof to irrigation. The control study were dry unirrigated plots. Drip irrigation consisted of irrigation tubes running through the green roof that would water the soil throughout, and sprinkler irrigation used a sprinkler system to irrigate the green roof from above. In all cases, the irrigated roofs had increased the soil moisture, reduced temperatures of both the upper and lower surfaces, reduced growing medium temperatures and reduced air temperatures above the green roof relative to the unirrigated roof. The buffered temperature fluctuations were also studied via air conditioner energy consumption. There was a 28% reductionin air conditioner energy consumption and 33% reduction in overall energy consumption between dry and irrigated plots. Values of thermal resistance or S were determined for accuracy, and for this study, there was little change which is ideal. A series of infra-red and thermal probe measurements were used to determine temperatures in the air and sedum. It was determined that the sprinkler irrigation did a better job than the drip irrigation in keeping cooler temperatures within the green roof.

Keywords: green infrastructure, black roof, thermal buffering, irrigation

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Authors: Al-Molhem, Y.

Abstract:

This work aimed to study the influence of a geotextile material under sprinkler irrigation on the availability of soil moisture content and salinity of 40 cm top soil profile. Field experiment was carried out to measure soil moisture content, soil salinity and water application efficiency under sprinkler irrigation system. The results indicated that, the mats placed at 20 cm depth leads to increasing of the availability of soil moisture content in the root zone. The results further showed increases in water application efficiency because of using the geotextile material. In addition, soil salinity in the root zone decreased because of increasing soil moisture content.

Keywords: geotextile, moisture content, sprinkler irrigation

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Authors: Ali Montazar

Abstract:

California and the Colorado River Basin are facing increasing uncertainty concerning water supplies. The Colorado River is the main source of irrigation water in the low desert of California. Currently, due to an increasing water-use competition and long-term drought at the Colorado River Basin, efficient use of irrigation water is one of the highest conservation priorities in the region. This study aims to present some of current irrigation technologies and management approaches in the low desert and assess the viability and potential of these water management practices. The results of several field experiments are used to assess five water conservation practices of sub-surface drip irrigation, automated surface irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, tail-water recovery system, and deficit irrigation strategy. The preliminary results of several ongoing studies at commercial fields are presented, particularly researches in alfalfa, sugar beets, kliengrass, sunflower, and spinach fields. The findings indicate that all these practices have significant potential to conserve water (an average of 1 ac-ft/ac) and enhance the efficiency of water use (15-25%). Further work is needed to better understand the feasibility of each of these applications and to help maintain profitable and sustainable agricultural production system in the low desert as water and labor costs, and environmental issues increase.

Keywords: automated surface irrigation, deficit irrigation, low desert of California, sprinkler irrigation, sub-surface drip irrigation, tail-water recovery system

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Authors: Yu-Hsiu Li, Chun-Hsun Chen

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Analysis of automatic sprinkler system protects the scooter in underground parking space, the current of general buildings is mainly equipped with foam fire-extinguishing equipment in Taiwan, the automatic sprinkling system has economic and environmental benefits, even high stability, China and the United States allow the parking space to set the automatic sprinkler system under certain conditions. The literature about scooter full-scale fire indicates that the average fire growth coefficient is 0.19 KW/sec2, it represents the scooter fire is classified as ultra-fast time square fire growth model, automatic sprinkler system can suppress the flame height and prevent extending burning. According to the computer simulation (FDS) literature, no matter computer simulation or full-scale experiments, the active order and trend about sprinkler heads are the same. This study uses the computer simulation program (FDS), the simulation scenario designed includes using a different system (enclosed wet type and open type), and different configurations. The simulation result demonstrates that the open type requires less time to extinguish the fire than the enclosed wet type if the horizontal distance between the sprinkler and the scooter ignition source is short, the sprinkler can act quickly, the heat release rate of fire can be suppressed in advance.

Keywords: automatic sprinkler system, underground parking Spac, FDS, scooter fire extinguishing

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Authors: Mehdi Benlarbi, Dalila Oulhaci

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Several physical, human and economic factors come into play in the choice of an irrigation system for developing arid and semi-arid regions. Since it is impossible to define or weight quantitatively all the relevant factors in each case, the choice of the system is often based on subjective preferences rather than explicit analysis. Over the past decade, irrational irrigation in the Ouargla region has evolved to a certain extent based largely on water wastage and which may pose risks to the environment both off-site and at the site. In the whole region, the environment is damaged by excess water because the water tables that tend to be high form swamps that pollute nature on the surface. The purpose of our work is a comparison between sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation using bottles. By irrigating with the aid of the bottle and giving a volume of 4 liters with a flow rate of one (1) liter per hour, the watering dose received varies between 6 and 7 mm without infiltration losses. And for the case of sprinkler irrigation, the dose received may not exceed 2.5mm. E in some cases, we have a quantity of water lost by infiltration. This shows that irrigation using the bottle is much more efficient than sprinkling. Because, on the one hand, a large amount of water is absorbed by the plant and on the other hand, there is no loss by infiltration. The results obtained are very significant because, on the one hand, we reuse local products, and on the other hand, as the bottles are buried, we avoid water losses by evaporation, especially in dry periods and salinization.

Keywords: resources, water, arid, evaporation, infiltration

Procedia PDF Downloads 43

Authors: Ali Montazar

Abstract:

This study aims to assess the viability of sub-surface drip irrigation (SDI) using several ongoing and conducted researches in the low desert region of California. The experiments were carried out in the University of California Desert Research and Extension Center (UC DREC) and ten commercial fields at alfalfa, sugar beets, dehydrated onions, and spinach crops. The results demonstrated greater yields, actual crop water consumption, and water productivity of SDI as compared with conventional irrigation practices (border, furrow, and sprinkler irrigation) with an average increase of 21%, 7%, and 15%, respectively. The severity of plant disease, particularly root rot in sugar beet, and downy mildew in onions and spinach, were significantly lower in SDI than furrow and sprinkler irrigation (an average of 3-5 times). While utilizing this irrigation technology may have ability to achieve higher yields, conserve water, improve the efficiency of water and nutrient use, and manage food safety risks and plant disease, further work is required to better understand the impact of management practices and strategies on the viability of SDI application, and maintain its profitability in various agricultural production systems as water, labor costs, and environmental concerns increase.

Keywords: alfalfa, onions, spinach, sugar beets, subsurface drip irrigation

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Authors: Ahmad Aridah, Maria Fay Rola-Rubzen, Zora Singh

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This study investigated the effectiveness of various types of irrigation systems in regards to the impact that these have on the productivity of date palms in the semi-arid and arid region of Sebha, Southwest Libya. The date palm is an economically important crop in Libya and contributes to the agriculture industry, foreign exchange earnings, farmers’ income, and employment in the country. The date palm industry relies on large amounts of water for growing the crop. Farmers in Southwest Libya use a variety of irrigation systems, but the quality and quantity of water varies between systems and this affects the productivity and income of farmers. Using survey data from 210 farmers, this study estimated and assessed the pros and cons of different types of irrigation systems for date palm production under various irrigation systems currently used in Sebha, Libya. The number of years farmers have used irrigation, the area, irrigation water consumption, time of irrigation, number of farm workers (including family labour) and inputs used were measured for surface, sprinkler and drip irrigation methods. Findings from this research provide new insights into the advantages and disadvantages of the various irrigation systems, problems encountered by farmers and the factors that affect the quality and quantity of the irrigation system. The paper discussed proposed solutions to deal with the problems including timing of irrigation, canal maintenance, repair of wells and water control.

Keywords: Libya, factors, irrigation method, date palm

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Authors: Levent Seyfi, Ertan Akman, Tuğrul C. Topak

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In this study, irrigation automation with electronic sensors and its control with smartphones were aimed. In this context, temperature and soil humidity measurements of the area irrigated were obtained by temperature and humidity sensors. A micro controller (Arduino) was utilized for accessing values of these parameters and controlling the proposed irrigation system. The irrigation system could automatically be worked according to obtained measurement values. Besides, a GSM module used together with Arduino provided that the irrigation system was in connection to smartphones. Thus, the irrigation system can be remotely controlled. Not only can we observe whether the irrigation system is working or not via developed special android application but also we can see temperature and humidity measurement values. In addition to this, if desired, the irrigation system can be remotely and manually started or stopped regardless of measured sensor vales thanks to the developed android application. In addition to smartphones, the irrigation system can be alternatively controlled via the designed website (www.sulamadenetim.com).

Keywords: smartphone, Android Operating System, sensors, irrigation System, arduino

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Authors: Stephen A. Akinlabi, Esther T. Akinlabi

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The drip irrigation system is one of the important areas that affect the livelihood of farmers directly. The use of drip irrigation system has been the most efficient system compared to the other types of irrigations systems because the drip irrigation helps to save water and increase the productivity of crops. But like any other system, it can be considered inefficient when the filters and the emitters get clogged while in operation. The efficiency of the entire system is reduced when the emitters are clogged and blocked. This consequently impact and affect the farm operations which may result in scarcity of farm products and increase the demand. This design work focuses on how to overcome some of the challenges affecting drip irrigation system through the design of an efficient filtration and flushing system.

Keywords: drip irrigation system, filters, soil texture, mechanical engineering design, analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 338

Authors: Yusuf Ersoy Yildirim, Ismail Tas, Ceren Gorgusen, Tugba Yeter, Aysegul Boyacioglu, K. Mehmet Tugrul, Murat Tugrul, Ayten Namli, H. Sabri Ozturk, M. Onur Akca

Abstract:

In recent years, a lot of research has been done for the sustainable use of scarce resources in the world. Especially, effective and sustainable use of water resources has been researched for many years. Sub-surface drip irrigation (SDI) is one of the most effective irrigation methods in which efficient and sustainable use of irrigation water can be achieved. When the literature is taken into consideration, it is often emphasized that, besides its numerous advantages, it also allows the application of irrigation water to the plant root zone along with air. It is stated in different studies that the air applied to the plant root zone with irrigation water has a positive effect on the root zone. Plants need sufficient oxygen for root respiration as well as for the metabolic functions of the roots. Decreased root respiration due to low oxygen content reduces transpiration, disrupts the flow of ions, and increases the ingress of salt reaching toxic levels, seriously affecting plant growth. Lack of oxygen (Hypoxia) can affect the survival of plants. The lack of oxygen in the soil is related to the exchange of gases in the soil with the gases in the atmosphere. Soil aeration is an important physical parameter of a soil. It is highly dynamic and is closely related to the amount of water in the soil and its bulk weight. Subsurface drip irrigation; It has higher water use efficiency compared to irrigation methods such as furrow irrigation and sprinkler irrigation. However, in heavy clay soils, subsurface drip irrigation creates continuous wetting fronts that predispose the rhizosphere region to hypoxia or anoxia. With subsurface drip irrigation, the oxygen is limited for root microbial respiration and root development, with the continuous spreading of water to a certain region of the root zone. In this study, the change in sugar beet yield caused by air application in the SDI system will be explained.

Keywords: sugar beet, subsurface drip irrigation, air application, irrigation efficiency

Procedia PDF Downloads 48

Authors: T. Wanyama, B. Far

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Automatic irrigation systems usually conveniently protect landscape investment. While conventional irrigation systems are known to be inefficient, automated ones have the potential to optimize water usage. In fact, there is a new generation of irrigation systems that are smart in the sense that they monitor the weather, soil conditions, evaporation and plant water use, and automatically adjust the irrigation schedule. In this paper, we present an agent based smart irrigation system. The agents are built using a mix of commercial off the shelf software, including MATLAB, Microsoft Excel and KEPServer Ex5 OPC server, and custom written code. The Irrigation Scheduler Agent uses fuzzy logic to integrate the information that affect the irrigation schedule. In addition, the Multi-Agent system uses Open Platform Connectivity (OPC) technology to share data. OPC technology enables the Irrigation Scheduler Agent to communicate over the Internet, making the system scalable to a municipal or regional agent based water monitoring, management, and optimization system. Finally, this paper presents simulation and pilot installation test result that show the operational effectiveness of our system.

Keywords: community water usage, fuzzy logic, irrigation, multi-agent system

Procedia PDF Downloads 263

Authors: Manita Ale, Ganesh P. Shivakoti, Ram C. Bastakoti

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Irrigation system, a system for enhancing agricultural productivity, requires regular maintenance in order to avoid irregular allocation of water. For maintenance of the system in long run, farmers’ participation plays a key role increasing the performance of system. The performance of any irrigation system mainly relies on various factors which affect collective action plus decision making, as well as their shared impacts. The paper consists of system level information that were collected from 12 Irrigation Systems (IS) from three-sampled districts of Nepal and the household information that were collected from 160 irrigation water users. The results reveal that, out of 12 sampled irrigation systems, only 4 systems shows high performance levels. The high performance level of those systems was characterized on the basis of adequate availability of water, good maintenance of system infrastructure, and conformance to existing rules followed. In addition, the paper compares different irrigation systems based on trust, reciprocity, cropping intensity, command area and yield as tools to indicate the importance of collective action in performance of irrigation system.

Keywords: collective action, decision-making, farmers’ participation, performance

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Authors: Woo Young Jung, Min Ho Kwon, Bu Seog Ju

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A failure of the non-structural component can cause significant damages in critical facilities such as nuclear power plants and hospitals. Historically, it was reported that the damage from the leakage of sprinkler systems, resulted in the shutdown of hospitals for several weeks by the 1971 San Fernando and 1994 North Ridge earthquakes. In most cases, water leakages were observed at the cross joints, sprinkler heads, and T-joint connections in piping systems during and after the seismic events. Hence, the primary objective of this study was to understand the seismic performance of T-joint connections and to develop an analytical Finite Element (FE) model for the T-joint systems of 2-inch fire protection piping system in hospitals subjected to seismic ground motions. In order to evaluate the FE models of the piping systems using OpenSees, two types of materials were used: 1) Steel 02 materials and 2) Pinching 4 materials. Results of the current study revealed that the nonlinear moment-rotation FE models for the threaded T-joint reconciled well with the experimental results in both FE material models. However, the system-level fragility determined from multiple nonlinear time history analyses at the threaded T-joint was slightly different. The system-level fragility at the T-joint, determined by Pinching 4 material was more conservative than that of using Steel 02 material in the piping system.

Keywords: fragility, t-joint, piping, leakage, sprinkler

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Authors: Sarah M. Asar, Nabeel M. Elhady

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Egypt’s current per capita water share indicates that the country suffers and has been suffering from water poverty. The abundant utilization of turfgrass in Egypt’s new urban settlements, the reliance on freshwater for irrigation, and the inadequate plant selection increase the water demand in such settlements. Decreasing the surface area of turfgrass by using alternative landscape features such as mulching, using ornamental low-maintenance plants, increasing pathways, etc., could significantly decrease the water demand of urban landscapes. The use of Ammochloa palaestina, Cenchrus crientalis (Oriental Fountain Grass), and Cistus parviflorus (with water demands of approximately 0.005m³/m²/day) as alternatives for Cynodon dactylon (0.01m³/m²/day), which is the most commonly used grass species in Egypt’s landscape, could decrease an area’s water demand by approximately 40-50%. Moreover, creating hydro-zones of similar water demanding plants would enable irrigation facilitation rather than the commonly used uniformed irrigation. Such a practice could further reduce water consumption by 15-20%. These results are based on a case-study analysis of one of Egypt’s relatively new urban settlements, Al-Rehab. Such results emphasize the importance of utilizing native, drought-tolerant vegetation in the urban landscapes of Egypt to reduce irrigation demands. Furthermore, proper implementation, monitoring, and maintenance of automated irrigation systems could be an important factor in a space’s efficient water use. As most new urban settlements in Egypt adopt sprinkler and drip irrigation systems, the lack of maintenance leads to the manual operation of such systems, and, thereby, excessive irrigation occurs.

Keywords: alternative landscape, native plants, efficient irrigation, low water demand

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Authors: Benhenni Abdellaziz

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Irrigation is a limiting factor for agricultural production and socioeconomic development of many countries in the arid and semi-arid world. However, the sustainability of irrigation systems requires rational management of the water resource, which is becoming increasingly rare in these regions. The objective of this work is to apply a geographic information system (GIS) coupled with a model for calculating crop water requirements (CROPWATER) for the management of irrigation water in irrigated areas and offer managers an effective tool to better manage water resources in these areas. The application area of GIS is the irrigated perimeter of Western Middle Cheliff, which is located in a semi-arid region (Middle Cheliff). The scope in question is considerable agrarian dynamics and an increased need for irrigation of most crops.

Keywords: GIS, CROPWAT, irrigation, water management, middle cheliff

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Authors: Benhenni Abdellaziz

Abstract:

Irrigation is a limiting factor for agricultural production and socio-economic development of many countries in arid and semiarid in the world. However, the sustainability of irrigation systems requires a rational management of the water resource that is becoming increasingly rare in these regions. The objective of this work is to apply a geographic information system (GIS) coupled to a model for calculating crop water requirements (CROPWATER) for the management of irrigation water in irrigated area and offer managers with an effective tool to better manage water resources in these areas. The application area of GIS is the irrigated perimeter of Western Middle Cheliff which is located in a semi-arid region (Middle Cheliff). The scope in question is a considerable agrarian dynamics and an increased need for irrigation of most crops.

Keywords: geographical information, irrigation, economical, use rational

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Authors: Rajeshwari Madli, Santhosh Hebbar, Vishwanath Heddoori, G. V. Prasad

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Agriculture is the major occupation in India and forms the backbone of Indian economy in which irrigation plays a crucial role for increasing the quality and quantity of crop yield. In spite of many revolutionary advancements in agriculture, there has not been a dramatic increase in agricultural performance. Lack of irrigation infrastructure and agricultural knowledge are the critical factors influencing agricultural performance. However, by using advanced agricultural equipment, the effect of these factors can be curtailed.  The presented system aims at increasing the yield of crops by using an intelligent irrigation controller that makes use of wireless sensors. Sensors are used to monitor primary parameters such as soil moisture, soil pH, temperature and humidity. Irrigation decisions are taken based on the sensed data and the type of crop being grown. The system provides a mobile application in which farmers can remotely monitor and control the irrigation system. Also, the water pump is protected against damages due to voltage variations and dry running.

Keywords: android application, Bluetooth, wireless sensors, irrigation, temperature, soil pH

Procedia PDF Downloads 343

Authors: Dilnee D. Suraweera, Tim Groom, Brian Chung, Brendan Bond, Andrew Schipp, Marc E. Nicolas

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Pyrethrum (Tanacetum cinerariifolium) is a perennial plant belongs to family Asteraceae. This is cultivated commercially for extraction of natural insecticide pyrethrins, which accumulates in their flower head achenes. Approximately 94% of the pyrethrins are produced within secretory ducts and trichomes of achenes of the mature pyrethrum flower. This is the most widely used botanical insecticide in the world and Australia is the current largest pyrethrum producer in the world. Rainfall in pyrethrum growing regions in Australia during pyrethrum flowering period, in late spring and early summer is significantly less. Due to lack of adequate soil moisture and under elevated temperature conditions during post-anthesis period, resulting in yield reductions. Therefore, understanding of yield responses of pyrethrum to irrigation is important for Pyrethrum as a commercial crop. Irrigation management has been identified as a key area of pyrethrum crop management strategies that could be manipulated to increase yield. Pyrethrum is a comparatively drought tolerant plant and it has some ability to survive in dry conditions due to deep rooting. But in dry areas and in dry seasons, the crop cannot reach to its full yield potential without adequate soil moisture. Therefore, irrigation is essential during the flowering period prevent crop water stress and maximise yield. Irrigation during the water deficit period results in an overall increased rate of water uptake and growth by the plant which is essential to achieve the maximum yield benefits from commercial crops. The effects of irrigation treatments applied at post-anthesis period on pyrethrum yield responses were studied in two irrigation methods. This was conducted in a first harvest commercial pyrethrum field in Waubra, Victoria, during 2012/2013 season. Drip irrigation and overhead sprinkler irrigation treatments applied during whole flowering period were compared with ‘rainfed’ treatment in relation to flower yield and pyrethrin yield responses. The results of this experiment showed that the application of 180mm of irrigation throughout the post-anthesis period, from early flowering stages to physiological maturity under drip irrigation treatment increased pyrethrin concentration by 32%, which combined with the 95 % increase in the flower yield to give a total pyrethrin yield increase of 157%, compared to the ‘rainfed’ treatment. In contrast to that overhead sprinkler irrigation treatment increased pyrethrin concentration by 19%, which combined with the 60 % increase in the flower yield to give a total pyrethrin yield increase of 91%, compared to the ‘rainfed’ treatment. Irrigation treatments applied throughout the post-anthesis period significantly increased flower yield as a result of enhancement of number of flowers and flower size. Irrigation provides adequate soil moisture for flower development in pyrethrum which slows the rate of flower development and increases the length of the flowering period, resulting in a delayed crop harvest (11 days) compared to the ‘rainfed’ treatment. Overall, irrigation has a major impact on pyrethrin accumulation which increases the rate and duration of pyrethrin accumulation resulting in higher pyrethrin yield per flower at physiological maturity. The findings of this study will be important for future yield predictions and to develop advanced agronomic strategies to maximise pyrethrin yield in pyrethrum.

Keywords: achene, drip irrigation, overhead irrigation, pyrethrin

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Authors: Catariny C. Aleman, Flavio B. Campos, Matheus A. Caliman, Everardo C. Mantovani

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The seedling production stage is a critical point in the vegetable production system. Obtaining high-quality seedlings is a prerequisite for subsequent cropping to occur well and productivity optimization is required. The water management is an important step in agriculture production. The adequate water requirement in horticulture seedlings can provide higher quality and increase field production. The practice of irrigation is indispensable and requires a duly adjusted quality irrigation system, together with a specific water management plan to meet the water demand of the crop. Irrigation management in seedling management requires a great deal of specific information, especially when it involves the use of inputs such as hydrorentering polymers and automation technologies of the data acquisition and irrigation system. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa - MG. Tomato seedlings (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) were produced in plastic trays of 128 cells, suspended at 1.25 m from the ground. The seedlings were irrigated by 4 micro sprinklers of fixed jet 360º per tray, duly isolated by sideboards, following the methodology developed for this work. During Phase 1, in January / February 2017 (duration of 24 days), the cultivation coefficient (Kc) of seedlings cultured in the presence and absence of hydrogel was evaluated by weighing lysimeter. In Phase 2, September 2017 (duration of 25 days), the seedlings were submitted to 4 irrigation managements (Kc, timer, 0.50 ETo, and 1.00 ETo), in the presence and absence of hydrogel and then evaluated in relation to quality parameters. The microclimate inside the greenhouse was monitored with the use of air temperature, relative humidity and global radiation sensors connected to a microcontroller that performed hourly calculations of reference evapotranspiration by Penman-Monteith standard method FAO56 modified for the balance of long waves according to Walker, Aldrich, Short (1983), and conducted water balance and irrigation decision making for each experimental treatment. Kc of seedlings cultured on a substrate with hydrogel (1.55) was higher than Kc on a pure substrate (1.39). The use of the hydrogel was a differential for the production of earlier tomato seedlings, with higher final height, the larger diameter of the colon, greater accumulation of a dry mass of shoot, a larger area of crown projection and greater the rate of relative growth. The handling 1.00 ETo promoted higher relative growth rate.

Keywords: automatic system; efficiency of water use; precision irrigation, micro sprinkler.

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Authors: J. P. Reges, L. C. S. Mazza, E. J. Braga, J. A. Bessa, A. R. Alexandria

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This paper proposes the development of control and automation of irrigation system located sunflower harvest in the Teaching Unit, Research and Extension (UEPE), the Apodi Plateau in Limoeiro do Norte. The sunflower extraction, which in turn serves to get the produced oil from its seeds, animal feed, and is widely used in human food. Its nutritional potential is quite high what makes of foods produced from vegetal, very rich and healthy. The focus of research is to make the autonomous irrigation system sunflower crop from programmable logic control energized with alternative energy sources, solar photovoltaics. The application of automated irrigation system becomes interesting when it provides convenience and implements new forms of managements of the implementation of irrigated cropping systems. The intended use of automated addition to irrigation quality and consequently brings enormous improvement for production of small samples. Addition to applying the necessary and sufficient features of water management in irrigation systems, the system (PLC + actuators + Renewable Energy) will enable to manage the quantitative water required for each crop, and at the same time, insert the use of sources alternative energy. The entry of the automated collection will bring a new format, and in previous years, used the process of irrigation water wastage base and being the whole manual irrigation process.

Keywords: automation, control, sunflower, irrigation, programming, renewable energy

Procedia PDF Downloads 376

Authors: Loubna Hamami, Bouchaib Nassereddine

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Due to the evolution of technologies, the need to observe and manage hostile environments, and reduction in size, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are becoming essential and implicated in the most fields of life. WSNs enable us to change the style of living, working and interacting with the physical environment. The agricultural sector is one of such sectors where WSNs are successfully used to get various benefits. For successful agricultural production, the irrigation system is one of the most important factors, and it plays a tactical role in the process of agriculture domain. However, it is considered as the largest consumer of freshwater. Besides, the scarcity of water, the drought, the waste of the limited available water resources are among the critical issues that touch the almost sectors, notably agricultural services. These facts are leading all governments around the world to rethink about saving water and reducing the volume of water used; this requires the development of irrigation practices in order to have a complete and independent system that is more efficient in the management of irrigation. Consequently, the selection of WSNs in irrigation system has been a benefit for developing the agriculture sector. In this work, we propose a prototype for a complete and intelligent irrigation system based on wireless sensor networks and we present and discuss the design of this prototype. This latter aims at saving water, energy and time. The proposed prototype controls water system for irrigation by monitoring the soil temperature, soil moisture and weather conditions for estimation of water requirements of each plant.

Keywords: precision irrigation, sensor, wireless sensor networks, water resources

Procedia PDF Downloads 121

Authors: Ahmed I. Al-Amoud

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A laboratory and field study were conducted on subsurface drip irrigation systems. In the first laboratory study, eight subsurface drip irrigation lines available locally, were selected and a number of experiments were made to evaluate line hydraulic characteristics to insure it's suitability for drip irrigation design requirements and high performance to select the best for field experiments. The second study involves field trials on mature date palm trees to study the effect of subsurface drip irrigation system on the yield and water consumption of date palms, and to compare that with the traditional surface drip irrigation system. Experiments were conducted in Alwatania Agricultural Project, on 50 mature palm trees (17 years old) of Helwa type with 10 meters spacing between rows and between trees. A high efficiency subsurface line (Techline) was used based on the results of the first study. Irrigation scheduling was made through a soil moisture sensing device to ensure enough soil water levels in the soil. Experiment layouts were installed during 2001 season, measurements continued till end of 2008 season. Results have indicated that there is an increase in the yield and a considerable saving in water compared to the conventional drip irrigation method. In addition there were high increases in water use efficiency using the subsurface system. The subsurface system proves to be durable and highly efficient for irrigating date palm trees.

Keywords: drip irrigation, subsurface drip irrigation, date palm trees, date palm water use, date palm yield

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Authors: C. D. Papanikolaou, V. A. Giouvanis, E. A. Karatasiou, D. S. Dimakas, M. A. Sakellariou-Makrantonaki

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Irrigation is one of the most important cultivation practices for each crop, especially in areas where rainfall is enough to cover the crop water needs. In such areas, the farmers must irrigate in order to achieve high economical results. The precise irrigation scheduling contributes to irrigation water saving and thus a valuable natural resource is protected. Under this point of view, in the experimental field of the Laboratory of Agricultural Hydraulics of the University of Thessaly, a research was conducted during the growing season of 2012 in order to evaluate the growth, seed and oil production of sunflower as well as the water saving, by applying different methods of irrigation scheduling. Three treatments in four replications were organized. These were: a) surface drip irrigation where the irrigation scheduling based on the Penman-Monteith (PM) method (control); b) surface drip irrigation where the irrigation scheduling based on a soil moisture sensor (SMS); and c) surface drip irrigation, where the irrigation scheduling based on a soil potential sensor (WM).

Keywords: irrigation, energy production, soil moisture sensor, sunflower, water saving

Procedia PDF Downloads 147

Authors: Jasim Uddin, Rod Smith, Malcolm Gillies

Abstract:

Surface irrigation is the most popular irrigation method all over the world. However, two issues: low efficiency and huge labour involvement concern irrigators due to scarcity in recent years. To address these issues, a smart automated furrow is conceptualised that can be operated using digital devices like smartphone, iPad or computer and a preliminary evaluation was conducted in this study. The smart automated system is the integration of commercially available software and hardware. It includes real-time surface irrigation optimisation software (SISCO) and Rubicon Water’s surface irrigation automation hardware and software. The automated system consists of automatic water delivery system with 300 mm flexible pipes attached to both sides of a remotely controlled valve to operate the irrigation. A water level sensor to obtain the real-time inflow rate from the measured head in the channel, advance sensors to measure the advance time to particular points of an irrigated field, a solar-powered telemetry system including a base station to communicate all the field sensors with the main server. On the basis of field data, the software (SISCO) is optimised the ongoing irrigation and determine the optimum cut-off for particular irrigation and send this information to the control valve to stop the irrigation in a particular (cut-off) time. The preliminary evaluation shows that the automated surface irrigation worked reasonably well without manual intervention. The evaluation of farmers managed irrigation events show the potentials to save a significant amount of water and labour. A substantial amount of economic and social benefits are expected in rural industries by adopting this system. The future outcome of this work would be a fully tested commercial adaptive real-time furrow irrigation system able to compete with the pressurised alternative of centre pivot or lateral move machines on capital cost, water and labour savings but without the massive energy costs.

Keywords: furrow irrigation, smart automation, infiltration, SISCO, real-time irrigation, adoptive control

Procedia PDF Downloads 414

Authors: Maria M. S. Pires, Andre F. X. Gloria, Pedro J. A. Sebastiao

Abstract:

The technological advances in the area of Internet of Things have been creating more and more solutions in the area of agriculture. These solutions are quite important for life, as they lead to the saving of the most precious resource, water, being this need to save water a concern worldwide. The paper proposes the creation of an Internet of Things system based on a network of sensors and interconnected actuators that automatically monitors the quality of the rainwater that is stored inside a tank in order to be used for irrigation. The main objective is to promote sustainability by reusing rainwater for irrigation systems instead of water that is usually available for other functions, such as other productions or even domestic tasks. A mobile application was developed for Android so that the user can control and monitor his system in real time. In the application, it is possible to visualize the data that translate the quality of the water inserted in the tank, as well as perform some actions on the implemented actuators, such as start/stop the irrigation system and pour the water in case of poor water quality. The implemented system translates a simple solution with a high level of efficiency and tests and results obtained within the possible environment.

Keywords: internet of things, irrigation system, wireless sensor and actuator network, ESP32, sustainability, water reuse, water efficiency

Procedia PDF Downloads 112

Authors: Yongqin Zhang, John Lett

Abstract:

Geospatial technologies have been increasingly used in agriculture for various applications and purposes in recent years. Unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) fit the needs of farmers in farming operations, from field spraying to grow cycles and crop health. In this research, we conducted a practical research project that used drone technology to design and map optimal locations and layouts of irrigation systems for agriculture farms. We flew a DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone to acquire aerial remote sensing images over two agriculture fields in Forest, Mississippi, in 2022. Flight plans were first designed to capture multiple high-resolution images via a 20-megapixel RGB camera mounted on the drone over the agriculture fields. The Drone Deploy web application was then utilized to develop flight plans and subsequent image processing and measurements. The images were orthorectified and processed to estimate the area of the area and measure the locations of the water line and sprinkle heads. Field measurements were conducted to measure the ground targets and validate the aerial measurements. Geospatial analysis and photogrammetric measurements were performed for the study area to determine optimal layout and quantitative estimates for irrigation systems. We created maps and tabular estimates to demonstrate the locations, spacing, amount, and layout of sprinkler heads and water lines to cover the agricultural fields. This research project provides scientific guidance to Mississippi farmers for a precision agricultural irrigation practice.

Keywords: drone images, agriculture, irrigation, geospatial analysis, photogrammetric measurements

Procedia PDF Downloads 44

Authors: Kamran Baksh Soomro, Amin Talei, Sina Alaghmand

Abstract:

Water scarcity has exacerbated in the last couple of decades; it is incumbent on agriculture to maximize the use of water of all qualities. The drip irrigation system practice has shown a vast increase in profit and research interests in the last two decades. However, the application of this system is still limited. The two years field experiment was conducted with three replications at Malir, Karachi (a semi-arid region) in Pakistan. The aim was to evaluate the effects of two qualities of irrigation water IT1 (EC 0.56 dS.m⁻¹) and IT2 (EC 2.89 dS.m⁻¹) on water use efficiency. To achieve the aim, bitter gourd was grown under the drip irrigation system in 2016-17. The uniformity co-efficient (UC) ranged from 93 to 96%. Water use efficiency, of 1.60 and 1.21 kg.m⁻³ under IT1 was recorded higher in season 1 and 2. Using t-test at 5% significance level, the crop yield was higher in both seasons under IT1 compared to IT2. Using pairwise t-test at 5% significance level, the parameters related with the quality of fruit, like length, weight, and diameter, were higher in IT1 than IT2 in all plants; and in both seasons. A correlational study was also conducted to observe the trends in the variables associated with both irrigation treatments for the two seasons. Results showed that most of the parameters exhibited a similar linear trend in both the seasons. The study concluded that bitter gourd crop could be grown successfully in sandy loam using drip irrigation system, supplying saline ground-water. The sustainable use of saline irrigation water should be utilized for vegetable cultivation to meet the food demand in the rural areas of Pakistan.

Keywords: uniformity co-efficient, water use efficiency, drip irrigation, ground-water, t-test, correlation

Procedia PDF Downloads 113

Authors: S. N. C. M. Dias, Niels Schuetze, Franz Lennartz

Abstract:

The current focus in irrigated agriculture will move from maximizing crop production per unit area towards maximizing the crop production per unit amount of water (water productivity) used. At the same time, inadequate water supply or deficit irrigation will be the only solution to cope with water scarcity in the near future. Soil matric potential based irrigation plays an important role in such deficit irrigated agriculture to grow any crop including rice. Rice as the staple food for more than half of the world population, grows mainly under flooded conditions. It requires more water compared to other upland cereals. A major amount of this water is used in the land preparation and is lost at field level due to evaporation, deep percolation, and seepage. A field experimental study was conducted in the experimental premises of rice research and development institute of Sri Lanka in Kurunegala district to estimate the water productivity of rice under deficit irrigation. This paper presents the feasibility of improving current irrigation management in rice cultivation under water scarce conditions. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with four different irrigation treatments with three replicates. Irrigation treatments were based on soil matric potential threshold values. Treatment W0 was maintained between 60-80mbars. W1 was maintained between 80-100mbars. Other two dry treatments W2 and W3 were maintained at 100-120 mbar and 120 -140 mbar respectively. The sprinkler system was used to irrigate each plot individually upon reaching the maximum threshold value in respective treatment. Treatments were imposed two weeks after seed establishment and continued until two weeks before physiological maturity. Fertilizer applications, weed management, and other management practices were carried out per the local recommendations. Weekly plant growth measurements, daily climate parameters, soil parameters, soil tension values, and water content were measured throughout the growing period. Highest plant growth and grain yield (5.61t/ha) were observed in treatment W2 followed by W0, W1, and W3 in comparison to the reference yield (5.23t/ha) of flooded rice grown in the study area. Water productivity was highest in W3. Concerning the irrigation water savings, grain yield, and water productivity together, W2 showed the better performance. Rice grown under unsaturated conditions (W2) shows better performance compared to the continuously saturated conditions(W0). In conclusion, soil matric potential based irrigation is a promising practice in irrigation management in rice. Higher irrigation water savings can be achieved in this method. This strategy can be applied to a wide range of locations under different climates and soils. In future studies, higher soil matric potential values can be applied to evaluate the maximum possible values for rice to get higher water savings at minimum yield losses.

Keywords: irrigation, matric potential, rice, water scarcity

Procedia PDF Downloads 172