Irrigation Engineering
(CE352)
Dr. Litan Kumar Ray
Assistant Professor
Civil Engineering Department
NIT Warangal
Mob.: 8265999740
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Methods of Application of
Irrigation Water
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Choice of method:
The choice of method depends on:
Size, shape & slope of the field
Soil characteristics
Nature and availability of the water supply sub-
system
Types of crops being grown
Initial development costs and availability of funds
Preferences and past experiences of the farmers
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Principle criteria for design of a suitable irrigation
method:
Store the required water in the root zone of the soil
Obtain reasonably uniform application of water
Minimise soil erosion
Minimise runoff of irrigation water from the field
Minimise labour requirement for irrigation
Fit irrigation system to field boundaries
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Surface Irrigation
In all surface irrigation methods, water is either
ponded on the soil or allowed to flow continuously
over the soil surface for the duration of irrigation.
The application efficiency for surface irrigation
methods may range from about 40 to 80%.
Advantages of surface methods:
The initial cost of the surface method is very less
compared to other methods
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Requirement of skilled labour is less
Disadvantages:
The performance of the method is comparatively low
then other methods
Loss of water is high
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Uncontrolled
flooding
When water is applied to the cropland without any
preparation of land & without any levees to guide or
restrict the flow of water on the field, the method is
called uncontrolled or free flooding.
This method is suitable when water is available in
large quantities, the land surface is irregular & the
crop being grown is unaffected by excess water.
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Border Irrigation
It is a controlled surface flooding method of applying
irrigation water. In this method, the land is divided
into a number of long parallel strip called borders
that are separated by low ridges.
This method is suitable for the soils with moderately
low to moderately high infiltration rates.
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Check Basin Irrigation
Check basin irrigation, often referred to as basin
irrigation, is the most common method of irrigation in
India.
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In check basin method, the field is divided into
smaller unit areas by levees or ridges, so that each
basin has a nearly level surface.
This method is suitable for wide range of soils
ranging from very permeable to heavy soils.
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Furrow
Irrigation
The furrow method of
irrigation is used for row
crops with furrows
developed between the
crop rows in the cultivating process.
Preferable slope of the furrow is 0.3 to 0.5%.
Preferable length of the furrow is 100 to 200 m and
the range is vary from 10 to 500 m.
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Subsurface
Irrigation
Water is applied beneath the
land surface
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 minimising runoff
Requires less maintenance than surface irrigation
Less chance of surface saturation and effluent runoff
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Sprinkler irrigation system
Pressurized irrigation through devices called sprinkler
Sprinklers are usually located on pipes called laterals
Water is discharged into the air and hopefully
infiltrates near where it lands
Sprinkler Irrigation System
Layout
Drip/Trickle Irrigation
Frequent, slow application of water either directly
onto the land surface or into the root zone of the
crop
Based on fundamental concepts of
Irrigating only the root zone of the crop (rather than entire
land surface)
Limits evaporation
Reduces weed growth
Minimizes interruption of cultural operations
Maintaining the water content of the root zone at near
optimum levels
Involves frequent application of small water
Trickle Irrigation Systems
Designed to
Operate daily for nearly the entire day
Supply water to only the root zone of the crop
Benefits
Higher yield (as much as 50%)
Improved crop quality
Reduced water and energy use
