Nufarmer Africa
Choosing an Irrigation system
Selecting an irrigation system for a site is not always straight forward but depends upon
many factors. Often sites are suited to several methods of irrigation and the final selection is based on factors such as water supply, soil, topography, climate, crop, labour
availability, energy, initial costs, operating costs, adaptability to farming operations,
adaptability for other uses, personal preference, and reliability of the supplier and aftersales service.
W
hether you are using irrigation for the
first time or considering changing
from your current irrigation system
there are a number of factors one should
consider when choosing an irrigation system
and the various factors that play a part in the
selection include:
Water
The amount of available water, the quality of
the water and the cost thereof may influence
the choice of an irrigation system. If the amount
of available water is a limiting factor on the
area to be irrigated, it might be more profitable
to select a micro irrigation system, with high
water use efficiency. Where irrigation contains
harmful chemical substances that could burn
the leaves of the plant or influence the quality
of the product, overhead irrigation systems that
wet the foliage should be avoided.
Soil
For micro irrigation of soils with a very high
sand fraction, micro sprayers would be preferable to drippers. However, if the soil has a very
high clay fraction and a low infiltration rate, a
dragline system might be more suitable than a
centre pivot is and an overhead system is to be
installed.
Topography
Topography plays an important role where
systems such as linear and flood irrigation systems
are concerne