AGR 475:

IRRIGATION AND FARM MANAGEMENT

Md. Ferdous Parvez

Lecturer
Dept. of Ag. Engg.
Faculty of Agriculture
EXIM Bank Agricultural University
Definition: irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the artificial application of water to the
root zone of the crop at right time and in required quantity for the
optimum growth of agricultural crops as to get more crops per unit
of water used. Irrigation should be applied with good economic
return and no damage to land and soil.

Irrigation may be defined as the artificial application of water to soil

for the purpose of supplying moisture essential for plant growth
Necessity of irrigation
▪ To add water to soil to supply the moisture essential for plant
growth
▪ To provide crop insurance against short duration droughts
▪ To cool the soil and atmosphere, thereby making more favorable
environment for plant growth
▪ To wash out or dilute salts in soil
▪ To reduce the hazard of soil piping
▪ To soften tillage pans
Importance of irrigation
Irrigation is the key input in crop production. Full benefit of crop
production technologies such as high yielding varieties, fertilizer
use, multiple cropping, crop culture and plant production measures
can be derived only when adequate supply of water is assured. On
the other hand, optimum benefit from irrigation is obtained only
when other crop production inputs are provided and technologies
are applied .
Benefits of irrigation
▪ Irrigation enables farmers to grow cereal and high value crops
such as vegetables, potato, tobacco etc.
▪ Irrigation enables farmers to grow high yielding varieties as high
yielding varieties usually have high water requirement
▪ Irrigation facilitates multiple cropping
▪ Irrigation assures effective use of manures and fertilizers to boost
up the yield
▪ Availability of irrigation facilitates the use of implements and
machineries for quick, proper and timely agricultural operations
▪ Control of weed becomes easy under irrigated farming
▪ Adequate and timely irrigation leads to high yields thus high
productivity
Determining crop water need
Basic considerations
▪The knowledge of climatic conditions
▪The knowledge of genetic potential of the crop
▪The appropriate design and operation of irrigation systems
Important definitions
▪Evapotranspiration (ET): It is a vaporization process where water
changes its phase from liquid to vapor. The process by which
water vaporizes from the soil surface is called evaporation.
Water vaporizing inside the plant leaves and diffusing through
the leaf pores to the ambient air is called transpiration. ET is the
sum of these two processes.
▪Crop evapotranspiration (ETc): It is the potential of maximum ET
of a specified crop where the crop growth and production is not
limited by water availability
Determining crop water need
Important definitions
▪Reference evapotranspiration (ETo): It is the potential or
maximum ET of a broad expanse of 10 to 15 cm tall cool-
season grass where the crop growth and production is not
limited by water availability
▪Crop coefficient (Kc): These are factors that are multiplied by Eto
to estimate Etc
Crop water need depend on:
▪Climate
▪Crop type
▪Crop growth stage
Determining crop water need
Irrigation water need
The difference between crop water need (ETc) and the part of the
rainfall which can be used by plant (effective rainfall) is irrigation
water need
Effective rainfall (8)= (1) - (4)- (5)- (7)
Determining crop water need
Water requirement at each irrigation
▪ Net irrigation requirement: It is equal to soil moisture deficit
(SMD) FC= Field capacity
𝑛 𝐹𝐶 − 𝜔 ω= Present moisture condition
𝑁𝐼𝑅 = 𝑆𝑀𝐷 = ෍ 𝐴𝑠 × 𝑍
𝑖=1 100 As= Apparent specific gravity
Z= Root zone depth
▪ Gross water requirement: As irrigation schemes are never 100%
efficient, water losses occur. Therefore gross or actual water
requirement is always higher than the net requirement
𝑁𝐼𝑅
𝐺𝐼𝑅 =
𝐸𝑎 NIR= Net irrigation requirement
Ea= Water application efficiency
▪ Pumping requirement: GIR= Gross irrigation requirement
𝐺𝐼𝑅 Ec= Conveyance efficiency
𝑃𝑅 =
𝐸𝑐
Determining crop water need
Water requirement in a season
▪ Seasonal crop water requirement: It is equal to seasonal Crop
evapotranspiration (ETc)
Seasonal CWR = Seasonal ETc
▪ Field water requirement (FWR):
FWR= Land preparation requirements (LP) + Seasonal crop
water requirement (CWR) + Irrigation water losses (L)
▪ Field Irrigation requirement (FIR):
FIR=FWR-Effective rainfall (Pe)- Available soil moisture(ASM)
▪ Gross irrigation water requirement (GIWR):
𝐹𝐼𝑅
𝐺𝐼𝑊𝑅 =
𝐸𝑎
Ea= Water application efficiency
Irrigation system
Irrigation system
Irrigation system
Irrigation system
Irrigation system
Irrigation system
 Sources and field application (classifications)

Source
Surface Irrigation
water
methods
Ground
water
Drip or Sprinkler or
Surface Subsurface
trickle over head

Uncontrolled Rotating Perforated

Border strip Check basin Ring furrow
flooding head pipe
Classification of irrigation methods
Depending on the advantages and disadvantages of different
methods, and wide range of existing conditions in the field, different
methods of irrigation is adopted. If right method is not adopted,
following hazards may occur:
▪Considerable loss of water
▪Soil erosion
▪Rise of water table
▪Development of salinity or alkalinity
▪Loss of yields
Irrigation methods
Surface irrigation
▪In the surface irrigation method, irrigation water is applied
directly to the soil surface from a channel located at the upper
reach of the field
▪To obtain high efficiency in surface method of irrigation, water
distribution systems are properly constructed to provide
adequate control of water over the field
Uncontrolled/free flooding
▪When water is applied to the cropland without any preparation
of land and without any levees to guide or restrict the flow of
water on the field, the method is called uncontrolled or free
flooding
▪In this method of flooding, water is brought to field ditches and
then admitted at one end of the field thus letting it flood the
entire field without any control
Irrigation methods: free flooding
Adaptability
▪Suitable when water is available in large quantities, land surface
is irregular and crop being grown there is unaffected to excess
water
▪Advantage of this method is the low initial cost of land
preparation.
Limitations
▪This method results in excess irrigation at the inlet region of
the field and inadequate irrigation at the outlet end
▪Application efficiency is reduced because of either deep
percolation & seepage or runoff.
Irrigation methods: border strip
Border strip method
▪The border method of irrigation makes use of parallel ridges to guide
a sheet of flowing water as it moves down the slop
▪The land is divided into a number of long parallel stripes called
border that are separated by low ridges. Border strip has little to no
cross slope but a uniform gentle slope in the direction of irrigation
Adaptability
▪It is more suitable to soils having moderately low or moderately high
infiltration rate
▪Suitable to irrigate all close growing crop like wheat, barley, fodder
crops and legumes
Limitations
▪This method requires land leveling with a uniform slope which is
sometimes costly
▪As this method requires land leveling, it may damage the soil fertility
▪Unsuitable for soils having very high and very low infiltration rate
Irrigation methods: border strip
Irrigation methods: check basin
Check basin method
▪This is the most common method of irrigation for rice field in
Bangladesh.
▪In this method, large field is divided into smaller unit areas and
each has a nearly level surface
▪Ridges are constructed around the areas forming basin and with
which irrigation water is controlled.
▪The basins are filled to the desired depth and the water is
retained to infiltrate into the soil
Adaptability
▪This method is suitable to smooth gentle and uniform land
slopes and for soils having moderate to low infiltration rate
▪Suitable for rice crop
▪This method enables the conservation of rainfall and reduction
in soil erosion by retaining a large part of rain in the basin
Irrigation methods: check basin
Limitations
▪Ridge of check basin
interfere the movements of
animal-drawn or tractor-
drawn implements.
▪Considerable land is
occupied by ridges and
lateral field channels
▪This method impedes
surface drainage, thus
proving unsuitable for water
sensitive crops.
Irrigation methods: furrow
Furrow method
▪This method is used in the irrigation of row crops with furrow
developed between the crop rows.
▪The size and shape of the furrow depends on the crop grown,
equipment used for spacing between crop rows
▪Water is applied by running small streams between the crop rows
▪Water infiltrates into the soil and spreads laterally to irrigate the
areas between furrows.
Adaptability
▪This method is suitable for all cultivated crops planed in rows.
▪Suitable for drainage
▪This method suitable for soils with moderately high infiltration rate
Irrigation methods: furrow
Limitations
▪It is not suitable for sandy
soils that has very high
infiltration rate and provide
very poor lateral movement
of water
▪Furrow making is costly
Irrigation methods: sub-surface
Sub-surface irrigation method
▪In this method, water is supplied below the ground surface by
maintaining an artificial water table at some depth depending upon
the soil texture and depth of soil roots
▪Water reaches the plant roots through capillary action. Water may
be introduced through open ditches or underground pipelines such
as tile drain or mole drains
▪The depth of open ditches or trenches vary from 30-100 cm and
they are spaced about 15-20 m apart
Adaptability
▪This method is suitable for crops like maize, coconut, palms etc.
▪Suitable for soils having reasonably uniform texture, permeable, low
water holding capacity and high infiltration rate.
▪Main advantage is, the evaporation is held to minimum
Irrigation methods: sub-surface irrigation
Limitations
▪This method requires an
unusual combination of
natural conditions, thus
limiting its application
▪Water having a high salt
content cannot be used
Irrigation methods: sprinkler
Sprinkler irrigation method
▪In this method, water is sprayed into the air and allowed to fall on
the ground surface somewhat resembling rainfall
▪The spray is developed by the flow of water under pressure through
small orifice or nozzles. The pressure is obtained by pumping
Adaptability
▪This method is suitable for about all crops (except rice or jute)
▪Suitable for about all soils (except fine textured soil, i.e. soil with
infiltration rate of less than 4 mm/hr)
▪Suitable for soil having high infiltration rate
▪Suitable for steep slopes or irregular topography
Irrigation methods: sprinkler
Limitations
▪Wind distorts sprinkler
pattern and causes
uneven distribution of
water
▪Ripening soft fruits must
be protected from the
spray
▪The water must be clean
and free from sand, debris
and salts
▪It requires high initial
investment
Irrigation methods: drip
Drip irrigation method
▪In this method, water is supplied slowly to the soil surface near the base
of the plants through emitters or drippers to keep the soil moisture within
the desired rage for plant growth
▪The amount of water supplied almost equals consumptive use of plant
thus minimizing conventional losses (percolation, run off, evaporation
etc.)
Adaptability
▪This method is popular to the areas having water scarcity and salt
problems
▪Suitable for about all types of crops like grapes, sugarcane, papayas,
banana, guava and most other types of fruit trees.
▪This method is mainly used to irrigate orchard and vegetables in water
scarcity areas
▪The advantage for this method is, it can achieve 90% water application
efficiency.
Irrigation methods: drip
Limitations
▪The initial cost of the drip
irrigation equipment is
higher.
▪Water needs to debris and
sand free
Irrigation efficiencies
Water conveyance efficiency. This term is used to measure the
efficiency of water conveyance systems associated with the canal
network, water courses and field channels. It is also applicable where
the water is conveyed in channels from the well to the individual
fields. It is expressed as follows:

Ec— Water conveyance efficiency, per cent

Wf=Water delivered to the irrigated plot (at the field supply
channel)
Wd— Water diverted from the source.
Irrigation efficiencies
Water application efficiency. After the water reaches the field supply
channel, it is important to apply the water as efficiently as possible. A
measure of how efficiently this is done is the water application
efficiency, defined as follows:

Ea— Water application efficiency, per cent

W8= Water stored in the root zone of the plants
W/= Water delivered to the field (at the field supply channel).
Irrigation efficiencies
Water application efficiency. It has been stated that small irrigations
may lead to high water application efficiencies, yet the irrigation
practice may be poor. The concept of water storage efficiency is
useful in evaluating this problem. This concept relates how completely
the water needed prior to irrigation has been stored in the root zone
during irrigation. It is defined as

Es=water storage efficiency, per cent

Ws=water stored in the root zone during irrigation
Wn =water needed in the root zone prior to irrigation
Irrigation efficiencies
Water distribution efficiency: Not only the application of the right
amount of water to the field but also its uniform distribution over the
field is important. Permissible lengths of irrigation runs are controlled
to a large extent by the uniformity of water distribution which is
possible for a given soil and irrieation management practice. Water
distribution efficiency indicates the extent to which water is uniformly
distributed along the run. It is defined as

Ed — water distribution efficiency, per cent

= average depth of water stored along the run during the irri¬
gation
=average numerical deviation from •
Water saving Tech.: AWD
AWD: AWD stands for alternate wetting and drying method.
This is a water saving method applied in rice fields . In this
method a simple device is used to monitor water level in the
field, and irrigation is applied accordingly, thus reducing
excess irrigation.
Background:
Boro rice in Bangladesh is fully irrigated and the aman rice
is partly irrigated. An estimated 3,000 to 5,000 litres of
water is required to produce one kilogram of rice. Recent
research at IRRI has proven that using Alternate Wetting and
Drying (AWD), about 15-30%, if not more, could be saved
without reduction in yield.
Water saving Tech.: AWD
Method of installation:
A PVC pipe with 7-10cm diameter and 25 cm
long with 15 cm perforation (picture below) is
used. Plastic water bottle, bamboo or earthen
pipe can be used to manufacture a AWD
pipe. Dig a 15 cm deep hole in the rice field
and install a perforated plastic pipe to monitor
the level of the water table after each
irrigation. The instillation can be done by
pressing the PVC pipe down to the soil if the
soil is soft enough. In this case the soil inside
the pipe should be thrown away.
Water saving Tech.: AWD
This is now being validated in
Bangladesh by BRRI, BADC,
BMDA and other partners.
The savings of irrigation water
will have impact on
environment because of
reduced withdrawal of ground
water, reduction in burning
diesel. This may also reduce
arsenic contamination in rice
field.
Water saving Tech.: AWD
Water saving Tech.: AWD
Definition: drainage
▪ Drainage is the removal of excess water, known as
gravitational water from the surface soil or below so as to
create favourable soil condition for plant growth. Drainage
also deals with the lowering down of the ground water table
below the root zone of the crops to improve the plant
growth or to reduce the accumulation of salt in the crop
root zone
Objective of drainage
▪ Removal of excess water from soil
▪ Arrangement of good aeration in the soil
▪ To control the loss of plant nutrient
▪ To enhance the activity of soil organism
▪ To improve the soil structure
▪ To control soil erosion
▪ To prevent the salt accumulation on surface soil
▪ To develop favourable condition for the growth of plant root
▪ To lower down the water level below the root zone
Benefits of drainage
▪ Facilitate early ploughing and planting
▪ Lengthen the crop growing season
▪ Provides more available soil moisture and plant food by
increasing the depth of root zone soil
▪ Decrease soil erosion by increasing water infiltration into soil
▪ Favours growth of soil bacteria
▪ Leaches excess salts from soil
▪ Assures higher soil temperature
Classification of drainage methods
Classification of drainage methods
Classification of drainage methods