MODERN

IRRIGATION
TECHNIQUES

Irrigation is the
primary
consumer of
WHAT IS
water on earth IRRIGATION
Igor
?
Irrigation is the artificial
Shiklomanov
application of water to the
land or soil. It is used to
assist in the growing of crops.

IRRIGATION IN THE PAST

Farming

was more focused on

subsistence rather than selling products
in the market.
Labor intensive.
Irrigated land used to be small.
Highly dependent on weather.
Inefficient.

Modern Irrigation
More

focus is now on selling the output.

Machine intensive.
More sophisticated.
Rains are no longer the controlling force.

DIFFEREN
T
TYPES OF
IRRIGATIO
N
IN
M
O
D
E
R
N TIMES

SURFACE IRRIGATION
In surface irrigation systems, the land is
filled completely with water. In this way
crops like rice are able to get ample amount
of water.

METHODS OF SURFACE IRRIGATION

Controlled: Water is applied from

the head ditch and guided by
corrugations, furrows, borders, or
ridges.
Uncontrolled- wild flooding.

DISAVANTAGES Wastage of water

Soil erosion

DRIP IRRIGATION
Also known as trickle irrigation.
Water is supplied at the roots of the plants,

drop by drop.
Most efficient and effective way of
irrigation.
Drip irrigation method can be either high
tech computerized or labor intensive.

Drip irrigation

SPRINKLER

Water is piped through different locations

in the field and is then distributed by high
pressure sprinklers or guns.
Sprinklers are mostly installed on
permanent risers.
Some sprinklers which rotate are called
rotors.

SPRINKLER

CENTER PIVOT
Center pivot irrigation is a form of sprinkler
irrigation.
It consists of several segments of pipe
which is joined together and is supported by
trusses, mounted on wheeled towers with
sprinklers positioned along its length.
It moves in a circular pattern and is fed with
water from the pivot point at the center of
the arc.

Center Pivot

Disadvantages of
sprinkler
0 Costly to install
0 Average cost is $2682
0 Also, large number of sprinklers have to be

installed in a field because area covered by a

single sprinkler is not large.
0 Center pivot is also extremely costly.

Sub-Irrigation
It has been used for many years where
there is a lot of ground water available.
It is a method of artificially raising the water
table to allow the soil to be moistened from
below the plants' root zone.
Advantages are water and nutrient
conservation, and labor-saving through
lowered system maintenance and
automation.
It is similar to surface drip irrigation system.

COMPARISON
TRADITIONAL METHOD OF
IRRIGATION

Inefficient as crops
dont get water
properly.
Very cheap because
there is no installation
cost.
Labor intensive.

MODERN IRRIGATIONAL
TECHNIQUE

Efficient because
crops get correct
amount of water. The
best example is drip
irrigation system.
Extremely costly. A lot
of investment has to
be made to get a
proper irrigational
system.
Machine intensive.

WHY IS EVERYONE USING MODERN

IRRIGATIONAL TECHNIQUES?
These days people prefer to use modern
irrigational techniques because they are
extremely efficient and effective.
Modern irrigational techniques are also
pivotal in increasing the crop yield.
Also since these days farming is done with
the help of fertilizers, crops need a certain
amount of water to grow properly.

MY VIEW ON USING MODERN

IRRIGATIONAL TECHNIQUES
According to me, modern irrigational

techniques should be used and promoted

because they save a lot of water.
For example: drip irrigation, if done properly
can save upto 95% of water.
Also modern irrigational methods are
important because of scarcity of water and
increasing demand for food crops.
Modern irrigational techniques are also cost
effective, if done on a large scale.