There are a lot of ways to set up the irrigation system for an agricultural cultivation project. Tre is various methods of irrigation system like the basin, surface, furrow, border, sprinkler, and drip. For fine-textured soil type, furrow irrigation is the most commonly practiced irrigation type.
In this article a short guideline on description, suitability, application, and maintenance of furrow irrigation is presented.
Furrow irrigation is a method of laying out the water channels in such a way where gravity plays the role of providing just enough water for suitable plants to grow. It is usually made by the planned placement of ridges and furrows. It is a kind of surface irrigation system.
A ridge is the part of the layout of the field that is elevated at different angles based on the type of soil. This is actually where the plants are planted. The furrows are the troughs that let the water flow through it.
Furrow irrigation is a more preferred way of irrigation primarily for two reasons –
If these two factors are viable enough for your purpose, then furrow irrigation is more than just a good option for you.
In order to know whether the furrow irrigation method is suitable for your purpose or not, you need to have prior knowledge about some of the common factors of a field. After all, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” Hence, to prevent such a phenomenon from happening, here are some of the main factors to be considered while using the furrow irrigation method -
The key feature to keep in mind while selecting soils for furrow irrigation construction is the aggregating capacity of the soil. Simply put, the less soft it becomes in contact with water, the more suitable it is for furrow irrigation. This puts sandy soils as the least suitable since water regulation will be absent.
Soil types like clay, loamy and silty soil are very much suitable for furrow irrigation.
Noticing furrows in the backyard of a house in a patch of the vegetable garden is a very common sight.
Thus, we can easily assume that furrow irrigation is very suitable for most crops and vegetables. It is very benefitting as a process when the roots need regulated contact with water but contact with the stem or other parts would cause harm (Hence the elevation).
For example, growing row crops like wheat, maize, and paddy, some fruits and obviously most vegetables can use this method for proper results.
Sloping for furrow irrigation is not extremely done. Still, it does need to be adjusted slightly according to the type of soil present. The table below charts out the suggested angles for the slopes during furrow irrigation construction –
Soil Type | Optimum Slope (%) |
---|---|
Sand | 0.5 |
Sandy Loam | 0.4 |
Loam | 0.3 |
Silt Loam | 0.2 |
Clay Loam | 0.1 |
Clay | 0.05 |
A lot of factors need to be kept in mind while implementing the furrow irrigation design. The crucial factors at play and important notes to keep in mind during the furrow planning design are -
There are two prime factors that you need to consider while creating the shape and size of the furrows. They are –
Factors affecting the length of furrows are –
For planning the space, you should keep these two factors in mind –
For the application of the furrow irrigation construction design, you can follow these steps –
Maintaining furrows can be funneled down to some simple steps for you to remember –
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