Water Application Methods - Practices of Irrigation and On-farm Water Management - page 36

2.1 General Perspectives of Water Application

Several decisions must be made before an irrigation system is installed in a field.
Some determinations are technical in nature, some economic, and others involve a
close scrutiny of the operation and crop to be irrigated.
Location, quantity, and quality of water should be determined before any type of
irrigation system is selected. No assumptions should be made with the water supply.
Make sure that the water source is large enough to meet the irrigation system's
demand by test pumping groundwater sources or measuring flow rate of streams.
Securing of water rights on groundwater wells should be taken beforehand.
Numerous irrigation systems are on the market. Each system has advantages,
disadvantages, and specific uses. A discussion of different systems, their roles, and
capabilities in irrigated crop production are given in the next sections.

2.2 Classification of Water Application Methods

Water application methods can be classified based on different themes:

A Based on energy/pressure required
B Based on placement of irrigation water
C Based on wetted area by irrigation

Classification system - A
Based on energy/pressure requirement, irrigation methods can be grouped as

• gravity irrigation and

• pressurized irrigation

Again, gravity irrigation may be subdivided based on mode of application as

• border irrigation

• basin irrigation

• furrow irrigation

Pressure irrigation system may be subdivided based on mode of application as

• drip irrigation

• sprinkler irrigation

Classification system - B
Based on the placement of irrigation water (whether on, above, or below the soil
surface), irrigation methods may be grouped as