Hydraulic performance evaluation of drip system

Introduction

Applying consistent water directly to each plant's root zone using drip irrigation has been found to be an effective way to reduce water application and increase water use efficiency, especially in regions where rainfall is rare and irrigation water is expensive. (Sinha and Shashikant, 2021) [5] . For agriculture to increase output and save irrigation water, a precious but finite resource, rational irrigation water usage is essential. This can be achieved by using additional improved water management strategies in conjunction with contemporary irrigation techniques like trickle irrigation. The fundamental idea behind drip irrigation is to irrigate the crop's root zone as opposed to the entire land surface, which maximizes agricultural output and water consumption efficiency. Drip irrigation, thus, reduces traditional losses such as soil evaporation, runoff, and deep percolation. Together with healthier crop response, it permits the application of insecticides, fertilizers, and other watersoluble compounds with irrigation water (Sinha et al. 2021) [5] . The various drip irrigation system hydraulic performance metrics are highly helpful for efficient design and how the system functions. Gil et al. (2002) [2] .

Materials and Methods

The experiment was conducted in netted condition at Center of Excellence on Protected Cultivation, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur (C.G.) during the year 2023-24. The experimental site is located at 21˚23̍ N latitude, 81˚63̍ E longitude and 285 m above mean sea level in the central part of the state of Chhattisgarh.

Discharge of emitters

Emitter having discharge capacity of 2 lph respectively were tested at different operating pressure i.e. 0.8, 1.0 and 1.2 kg cm -2 and these pressures are maintained by using control valve at head control unit and end of lateral. A pressure gauge was used to determine the operating pressure. To direct the discharge into the plastic and glass container, water was gathered using drippers. The duration of the tests varied depending on the pressure and

Emission uniformity (EU)

The EU during the field test is the ratio expressed as a percentage of average emitter discharge from the lower 1/4th of emitter to the average discharge of all the emitters of the drip system. The average of lowest 1/4th of emitter was selected as a practical value for minimum discharge, as recommended by the United State Soil Conservation Services for field evaluation of irrigation systems and is expressed by the equation:

Where, EU = Emission uniformity, percentage qm = Average of the lowest 1/4 th of the field data emitter discharge, l/h qa = Average of all the field data emitter discharge, l/h Less than 70% Poor Source: American society of agriculture and biological engineers (ASAE)

Distribution efficiency (Ed)

The distribution efficiency determine show uniformly irrigation water can be distributed through a drip irrigation system into the field. It can be determined from the emitter flow variation along a lateral line in a drip irrigation system layout in the field and can be expressed by the equation:

Application efficiency (Ea)

The ratio of water required at the root zone to the total amount of water applied is known as application efficiency. It demonstrates how well irrigation water is applied that is, what percentage of the water applied is stored in the root zone as needed and is available for plant use (Mane et al.

2018) [4] . The water required in the root zone is supposed to be applied at the lowest flow rate possible and for the entire irrigation period. Therefore, application efficiency can be expressed as,

…(4)

Where, Ea = application efficiency, % qmin = minimum emitter flow rate, lph qavg = average emitter flow rate, lph Average emitter flow rate can be expressed by equation

Where, = total volume of water applied N = total number of emitters T = total irrigation time

Results and Discussion

The data obtained from experimental trials from drip irrigation system were used to determine different hydraulic performance indicators for evaluating the existing operational systems. The parameters namely emitter flow rate, emission uniformity distribution efficiency and application efficiency were used to evaluate the hydraulic performance of drip system.

Emitter Discharge That Drip irrigation system was operated under field condition to study the different hydraulic parameters of the system.

References

1. Ella VB, Reyes MR, Yoder R. Effect of hydraulic head and slope on water distribution uniformity of a low-cost drip irrigation system. Applied Engineering in Uniformity Agriculture. 2009;25:349-356.
2. Gil JA, Khan L, Hernandez R. Evaluation of the hydraulic performance of several imported emitters for drip irrigation. Revista Cientifica UDO Agricola. 2002;2:64-72.
3. Kumar Ajay HP, Ashoka HG. Study on Hydraulic Performance of Drip Irrigation System under Field Condition. Int. J Curr. Microbiol. App. Sci. 2020;9(2):626-633.
4. Sinha BL, Shasikant. Hydraulic performance evaluation of drip irrigation system under field condition in Chhattisgarh plain. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry. 2021;10(2):79-83.
5. Sinha BL, Kumar Love, Shashikant. Evaluation of hydraulic performance of drip irrigation system on papaya, The Pharma Innovation Journal. 2022;11(1):664-666.
6. Valipour M. Sprinkle and Trickle Irrigation System Design Using Tapered Pipes for Pressure Loss Adjusting Journal of Agricultural Science. 2012;4(12):125-133.