Enhancement of water productivity with surge irrigation

Surge irrigation is the intermittent application of water to surface irrigated furrows or borders in a series of relatively short on and off time periods during the irrigation which may be between 20 minutes to two hours. In this technique, water is usually applied intermittently rather than with a continuous stream, as in conventional surface irrigation..Water productivity and water saving of six crops viz. wheat, cotton, maize, capsicum, onion and fennel under surge irrigation were compared with traditional method for the crops grown in different environmental conditions at different location of the world.It is concluded that surge flow irrigation performs better than continuous flow irrigation in terms of water saving and yield resulting in enhancement of water productivity. In case of wheat crop, surge irrigation saved and decreased irrigation water by 27, 33.4 and 37.4 % and increased yield by 15.1, 17.7 and 12.7 % under slope of 0.0, 0.1 and 0.2 % respectively compared with continuous flow irrigation for the same discharge. It had the maximum water use efficiency values of 1.39, 1.56 and 1.59 kg/m3 for surge flow irrigation under slopes of 0.0, 0.1 and 0.2 %, respectively.Surge irrigation system for maize obtained the highest value of WUE (1.63 kg/m3) with 40 m furrow length under 12.24 l/min inflow rate, while the lowest value of WUE obtained by continuous irrigation system, with 20 m furrow length under 44.4 l/min inflow rate (1.05 kg/m3). It can be applied by farmers in areas where irrigation water is limiting factor in crop production and farmers cannot afford costly micro-irrigation system.

Validation of Surge Model Using Furrow Gradient and Flow Retardance

Introduction: Surface irrigation, our oldest method of applying water on to the cropped land, has withstood the test of time because of its many advantages. Over the years, minor changes have been made to improve the efficiency of surface irrigation system. Aim: The present study was taken to validate the existing model with furrow gradient and flow retardance. Principle: The experimental layout has been made to accommodate the variance such as the furrow gradients (0.3%, 0.6% and 0.1%), the modes of irrigation namely the continuous flow as control and the surge flow as the treatment. Surge irrigation is a relatively new technique whereby water to surface irrigated furrows is applied intermittently in a series of relatively short ON and OFF time periods of irrigation cycles. Results: It is claimed that the ON-OFF cycling of the flow for specific time periods produces surges during the ON period and influences the soil intake during the OFF period when water soaks into the soil. The net result is a reduction in soil infiltration rates during subsequent surge ON periods and an increase in the rate of water front advance. The SURGEMODE model can only gives the net water front advance time that can be predicted for non-vegetated condition and a standard reference slope. However when the furrow is getting vegetated or when the slope gradients are changed, the water front advance predicted through the existing model cannot be predict accurately. Conclusion: Hence, the study involved to validate the existing model with furrow gradient and flow retardance. The use of revalidated existing SURGEMODE model with the correction factor would be the exact suitable model for the local condition.

The Arkansas “Most Crop per Drop” Contest: An Innovative Extension Method to Improve Irrigation Water Management Adoption

HighlightsAn integrated research and Extension program promoted adoption of computerized hole selection (CHS), surge irrigation, soil moisture monitoring, and multiple inlet rice irrigation (MIRI) for surface irrigators in Arkansas.Using a contest design, water use efficiency (WUE) was determined for maize, soybean, and rice fields, and report cards were provided to contest participants to provide feedback on their irrigation acumen.The highest yielding fields did not always result in the highest WUE.The contest was implemented on working commercial farms in the Arkansas Delta using flowmeters and in-field crop yield checks for the purpose of promoting adoption of irrigation water management (IWM).Abstract. The Arkansas “most crop per drop” irrigation contest is an integrated research and Extension program developed to assess water use, rainfall, and yield for the purpose of estimating water use efficiency (WUE). The irrigation contest resembles traditional yield contests, with the goal of documenting WUE and increasing adoption and awareness of irrigation water management (IWM) practices in the region. Adoption of IWM practices was greater for those who participated in the contest than their Arkansas peer average, with documented adoption increases of 33% for computerized hole selection, 28% for surge irrigation, and 51% for soil moisture monitoring. Keywords: Computerized hole selection, Soil moisture monitoring, Surge irrigation.