Need of Drip Irrigation
Date: 31-12-2020
Drip Irrigation is the most advance method used in Irrigation in present days. It has history of below 75 years of development & hence the latest method compared to the large history of Irrigation since the ancient times.
The important points in getting a good crop yield includes crop spacing, soil type, available weather, Irrigation practices & other practices. Here the Irrigation practices constitute the major factor in deciding the crop yield.
The concept of drip Irrigation is based on the fact that the plants has life unlike human being. It also grows from a seed. It also breathe & eat like human being. So it also needs water like human being on daily basis. If someone require 4 liters of water per day asked to have his weekly water requirement of 28 liters in single go, is it possible? Not at all. Likewise plants also have their fixed daily water requirement depending upon their growth stage, spacing, canopy, ETc (Evapotranspiration)& crop factor. & we have to apply the same quantity of water to them on daily basis. All the above factors are mapped in a formula to calculate the daily water requirement of that crop by drip system. Kothari Group, manufacturer of Drip Irrigation system in India, has systems manufactured to precision with the best quality and technology.
Soil-Plant-Water Relationship
The fix medium for most of the plants is soil, you can say plant is the most ground to earth living thing on the earth. Now we will study the soil conditions around root zone & will discuss the most suitable conditions. The soil strata composed of Solid elements (organic & inorganic), Liquid elements (Soil Moisture), Gaseous elements (Soil Air) & Biological elements (Living organisms). Physically the soil is composed of different organic & inorganic matters.
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The soil particles are divided broadly in 3 types
- Clay particles (<0.002mm)
- Silt Particles (0.002 to 0.02mm)
- Sand Particles (0.02 to 2mm)
The soil types on the basis of composition of above particles are Clay Soil, Silt Loam Soil, Sandy loam Soil & Sandy Soil.
Now we will study the conditions formed in the soil on the basis of application of water. Three stages formed in soil on the basis of quantity of water are
- Saturated condition having 100% of water & no air around root zone of soil
- Field Capacity condition having proportionate amount of water & soil around root zone in soil as per the soil type
- Wilting point condition having 100% air & no water available for the plant roots in soil
Ideal Condition for Plant Growth
Here now we will study in depth which condition is ideal for the plant growth. The most ideal conditions for plant growth is field capacity conditions. If we can maintain the field capacity conditions around plant root zone for 24 hours, it is the best condition formed in soil around root zone & hence the best for plant growth.
Condition by Flood Irrigation
Now if we opted for flood Irrigation, more precise Furrow Irrigation there will be 100% water in the soil around root zone immediately after application & there will be no air-It is the most extreme condition for the plant to breathe. This condition will remain for 4 to 5 days after which the water starts depleting & air % start increasing replacing the water. After next 6 to 7 days there will be 100% air & no water will be present in the soil which can be available for the plant.
Now you can see, within the span of 10 to 12 days, plant is suffering two extreme condition of no air (at start) & no water (at the end). This hampers the overall yield of the plant & hence of the total crop.
What happens with Drip Irrigation?
The drip Irrigation is aiming at calculating the daily water requirement of the plant to keep the field capacity conditions (Wapsa condition) around plant root zone for 24 hours. Here we must know for which reasons plants needs water. It needs major portion of water in the morning during photosynthesis. In morning ample Co2 is available, sunlight is there; with the help of water & air from soil, it starts metabolic activates. Plant do it on daily basis without any holiday & hence needs proportionate water & air on daily basis from soil.
In afternoon, evapotranspiration rate increases leading to water losses from soil & plant leaves, then again plant utilises water. Plant has minimal requirement during night hour, still some water & air requirement is there. All above points suggest that plant requires daily water & air in appropriate quantity which can be available for soil around the root zone. Here drip irrigation is aiming at providing the exact daily water required for the plant growth by keeping the field capacity conditions in soil around root zone.
Hence Drip Irrigation System Manufacturers & Suppliers In India is the only method at present which fulfils the plant water requirement as per their need on daily basis leading to the highest crop yield.
- Sandeep Deshpande