Complete Guide on Drip Irrigation System

Reducing and uncertain rainfall, water scarcity, and increasing food demand are concerns with which Indian farmers remain perpetually confronted. Amid the situation, farmers need an irrigation system, which, while helping them save water, ensures a precise supply of water and nutrients to the crop root zone. Drip irrigation serves the purpose. It proves advantageous in various ways. Some of them include the following.

Increased water efficiency by up to 90 percent
Increased crop yield
Better crop growth uniformity
Enhanced crop quality
Bringing a more extensive land spread under cultivation
Reduced wastage of water and nutrients
Lesser loss of water as evaporation is minimized
Reduced pest, disease attacks and weed growth
A greater extent of customization based on crop and soil needs
Minimized weed growth around the plants as water is supplied to the roots
Considerable labor and related cost -savings
Peace of mind

If you are a farmer looking to install a drip irrigation system, reading this blog can help. It serves as a guide to drip irrigation that discusses various aspects like the components involved in it, installing a drip irrigation system, maintaining it, and whom to connect with for custom, efficient and sustainable drip irrigation systems.

Parts of a Drip irrigation System

Drip Irrigation System is divided in 3 parts:

Head Control Unit
Water Carrying Unit
Water Distribution Unit

Head Unit: Segment responsible for controlling and monitoring of filtration, irrigation and fertigation
Head Unit Consisting of Pumps: To pump water from water source to filters,
NRV: It stops the back flow of water to protect the pump,
Filters: Required to remove the physical impurities like algae, sand particles etc. of water source
Fertigation Equipment: For fertigation and acid treatment
Pressure Gauge: To check the pressure
Safety Valves: Air release valve to remove the trapped air from the system
Water Carrying Unit: It consists of the mainline – a blind pipe that could be PVC, HDPE, FlexNet etc. that carries water from the HCU to submain
Control Valves: To control the flow of water based as per design
Submain: A pipe (PVC/HDPE/FlexNet) which carries water from the mainline to water distribution system
Flush Valves: To flush out the impurities settled in the main and submain
Water Distribution System
It distributes water or nutrients to plants root zone through lateral or dripper line
It consists of - Plain Lateral - It is a blank PE pipe used to connect dripper line with submain and used to irrigate the wide spaced crops where drippers will be installed by making holes on plain lateral.
Dripper Lines: Used for closed spaced crops like vegetables for Irrigation & Fertigation. It comes with inbuilt dripper at fixed interval so need to put dripper externally
Other Accessories: Grommet - connecting lateral with submain, Joiners - to connect lateral to the dripper line or Lateral to Lateral & End caps - To close the end of the lateral or dripper line.

Steps Involved in Drip Irrigation System Installation

Conduct a proper survey of the field to know the area
Collect the required data like crop, row spacing, row direction, water source details from the farmer
Design the system based on the survey and the data collected
Prepare the BOM as per the design
Next step is supplying the material
Perform trench marking and cutting as per design for laying of PVC pipes
Install the Drip system from the pump to end cap
Conduct testing and commissioning of the system
Backfill the trenches if no leakages or problems are found during testing
Deliver operation and maintenance training to the farmer
Hand over the system to the farmer

How to Maintain a Drip Irrigation System

Drip irrigation is not devoid of maintenance. You must periodically check the below factors to maintain the efficiency of your drip system.

Check the pressure at HCU on daily basis
Clean the filters by cleaning its elements on alternate days or once a week, based on the water quality
Flush out the main, submain, lateral & dripper line by opening the flush valves once a week
Check the pressure at the end of the lateral on monthly basis
After harvesting, perform the Acid/Chlorine Treatment

Need a Drip Irrigation System? Partner with Netafim!

Netafim is a globally renowned drip irrigation company with decades of experience and expertise across the global agricultural spectrum. We design, deploy and help farmers maintain drip irrigation systems. Our portfolio also comprises various patented drip irrigation products that help make drip irrigation simpler, more efficient, and more effective. Visit https://www.netafimindia.com/contact-us/ to know more.

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