What is irrigation? It is one of the most important technologies used in agriculture. All plants need water to carry out photosynthesis, through which they produce organic matter in order to grow, develop and eventually bear fruit. Without life-giving moisture, the existence of not a single living being on the planet is impossible.
What is irrigation?
The entire ecosystem, including animals, plants and people, will be doomed if it does not get the right amount of water. That is why farmers at all times have used artificial irrigation techniques. What is irrigation? This is the process of delivering life-giving moisture to growing crops. This method is especially important in areas where there is little rainfall.
Types of irrigation systems
There are many types of irrigation that farmers use depending on the growing environment. The most common methods are:
1. Surface irrigation, which uses gravity to distribute wateron the field. The water flows from the higher area down to reach all the crops. If such slopes are created artificially, then this method is quite laborious. Rice fields in East Asia are a classic example of surface irrigation.
2. Localized irrigation is carried out using a system of pipes for pumping water throughout the field. This form involves drip irrigation, which delivers moisture directly to plant roots. Subsurface irrigation consists of methods by which irrigation water is distributed below the soil surface. What is drip irrigation? This type varies depending on the depth of the groundwater. When they are well below the surface, the release devices can be hidden under the soil surface, usually in the root zone of plants.
3. What is sprinkler irrigation? This type is visually similar to lawn sprinklers. Irrigation is a pressurized pipe system that diverts water to crops. Variations on this system may include rotary irrigation in a circle.
4. The central rod is another type of watering that uses a spray gun that can rotate, changing its direction. Sprinklers are mounted on mechanical tracks that move them in a circle, so that even spraying of water on crops is carried out.
Use of irrigation systems
What is field irrigation and what is it used for? This isan irrigation method that uses specially designed systems to deliver water directly to the plants. This method is used to assist in the cultivation of crops, as well as for the maintenance of landscapes. The use of irrigation systems helps protect plants from frost, suppresses weed growth in grain fields, and prevents soil consolidation. Historically, artificial irrigation has been a centerpiece of agriculture for over 5,000 years and is a common way of caring for plants in many cultures to this day.
Water is an irreplaceable natural resource
The main idea of the artificial irrigation system is that the plants are supplied with a rational minimum of the required amount of water. To conserve this important natural resource, it is necessary to use methods that will help minimize its loss, as well as save time, money, preventing the growth of weeds and increasing the growth rate of plants, crops and flowers. Irrigation of crops is vital around the world, as its global goal is to ensure world population growth with constantly replenished food supplies.
Natural conditions as a factor in the suitability of different irrigation methods
These include soil type, slopes, climate, water quality and availability. For example, sandy soils have lowmoisture capacity and high filtration rate. Therefore, they need frequent but small irrigation interventions. On loamy or clayey soils with low penetration, all known irrigation methods can be used, surface irrigation is more often used. Sprinkler and drip irrigation are preferred on sloping lands, as their application practically does not require a perfectly flat surface. The exception is rice grown on terraced sloping lands. Strong winds can disrupt the spraying of water from sprinklers. In very windy weather, drip and surface irrigation are preferred. Water use efficiency is generally higher with sprinkler and drip irrigation than with surface irrigation, so these methods are preferred when water is in short supply.
Dependence on crop type
Speaking about what irrigation is, it should be noted that an important factor in the suitability of a particular system is the dependence on the type of crop. For example, surface irrigation can be used for all types of crops. Due to the high investment capital per hectare, sprinkler and drip are mainly used for high value cash crops such as vegetables and fruit trees. Drip irrigation is ideal for watering individual plants or trees, including row crops such as vegetables and sugarcane. And for closely growing crops (for example, rice), this method is not suitable.
Technology type and previous irrigation experience
The type of technology affects the choice of irrigation method. Drip and sprinkler are technically more complex methods. Buying equipment requires a large investment. Small-scale irrigation systems do not involve the use of complex equipment for construction and maintenance (other than pumps). The choice of watering method also depends on the accepted tradition within the region or country. The use of a previously unknown method can lead to unexpected complications. Equipment maintenance can be problematic and the costs are high compared to the benefits. Sometimes it's much easier to improve on a traditional watering method than to introduce a completely new one that hasn't been tested in a certain area.
Labour, costs and benefits
Surface irrigation is a relatively labor intensive process compared to rain and drip, as it requires precise site leveling, regular maintenance, and a high level of farmer organization to operate the system. Before choosing an irrigation method, the costs and revenues for the available options must be included in the estimate. Not only construction and installation should be taken into account, but also operation and maintenance. These costs must be weighed against the expected benefit to the enterprise.
Irrigation as a medical term
What is throat and mouth irrigation? This is a cleansing process to relieve inflammation, such as inpharyngitis. At the same time, surface bacteria are removed from the crypts of the palatine tonsils, which contributes to the gradual restoration of he althy blood circulation in this area, the irrigation of the pharynx gives the same effect. What is it and what is it for? The massaging effect reduces swelling and helps the infection leave the body. If you irrigate the throat at the very beginning of the disease, then further treatment will be more effective.
What is colon irrigation? This is one of the methods of decontamination, which is carried out by injecting a large amount of a solution into the intestines, which cleanses the gastrointestinal tract of toxins before they are absorbed by the body. Bowel irrigation was originally intended to be used as a preoperative preparation and before endoscopic or radiological procedures. The procedure is completely safe. This cleansing method is not prohibited during pregnancy.
The role of irrigation in ancient states
Irrigation has played a huge role since ancient times. Especially in those places where the rains were not enough for the full development of crops. Long-term irrigation was carried out in the Mesopotamian plain. The crops were watered regularly throughout the growing season by moving the water through a system of small canals. What is irrigation in ancient Egypt? The entire economy of this state depended on the water flows of the Nile. Most of the land area was irrigated using complex systems,created through hard work and engineering. The ancient Egyptians practiced firth irrigation using river floods. There is evidence of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Amenemhet III, who used a natural lake in the El Faiyum oasis as a reservoir for storing water supplies for use during dry periods. The reservoir was regularly filled with the waters of the Nile. The ancient Nubians developed a form of water wheel irrigation.
All over the world, scientists and archaeologists are discovering the remains of parts of irrigation canals that date back millennia BC. In ancient Persia (modern Iran), as early as the 6th millennium BC, barley was grown in areas where natural rainfall was insufficient to obtain a full-fledged crop. What is irrigation? In Egypt, these were predominantly canal systems, in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, it was most often represented by a network of vertical wells and tunnels. Irrigation systems in ancient Sri Lanka were among the most sophisticated in the ancient world. In addition to underground channels, for the first time they began to build completely artificial reservoirs for storing water. Due to their engineering excellence in this area, they were often referred to as irrigation masters. Irrigation systems are currently helping to solve many engineering and economic problems with minimal negative impact on the environment.
