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Category: Drip Irrigation News

Drip Irrigation Efficiency for Conserving Water

Drip irrigation has enabled farmers, nurserymen, and landscapers to conserve water for decades. This is primarily because, in contrast to gravity or sprinkler irrigation, drip irrigation efficiency and technology applies water slowly and directly to the targeted plant’s root zone. In addition, drip irrigation technology has extremely high application uniformity, even when pressures vary from hilly terrain or long lengths of run, or where planted areas are oddly shaped. Water is conserved in the following ways through drip irrigation efficiency: Drip irrigation application uniformity is very high, usually over 90% Unlike sprinklers, drip irrigation applies water directly to the soil, eliminating water loss from wind. Application rates are low so water may be spoon fed to the crop or plant root zone in the exact amounts required (even on a daily or hourly basis).  In contrast, other methods entail higher water application quantities and less frequency.  If young plants need

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WEBINAR REVIEW: Making Drip Irrigation Pay

Last week, we blogged about a free webinar produced by the Grange Network called “Making Drip Pay” that discussed how to increase income, reduce costs, and improve flexibility with drip irrigation. Led by Inge Bisconer of Toro Micro-Irrigation, the webinar highlighted how growers have quickly paid for the investment. For example, Chris and Stephen Cox, a father son team in Kansas, paid for their $1,100 per acre system in 1.5 years by increasing corn yields by 100 bushels per acre, and by reducing costs by about $160 per acre. They also received $330/acre of EQIP cost share.

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Distribution Drip Irrigation Supplies & System Components

Once the emission device is chosen, a system of filters, chemical injectors, pipes, valves and fittings must be constructed to deliver water reliably, safely and efficiently to each outlet, and to facilitate system maintenance.  The following are the major distribution system component categories: Filters Filters are used to remove organic and inorganic debris from the water that could potentially clog the emission devices. In agriculture, sand media filters, screen filters or disk type filters are commonly used, and may be cleansed manually, semi-automatically or automatically.  Even where potable water is used, which is typical of landscaping applications, disc or screen filters should be installed since scale and chemical precipitants may occur which present a potential clogging hazard. Depending on the emission device chosen, the degree of filtration should be 80-200 mesh. Chemical Injectors Chemical Injectors are typically installed in drip irrigation system in order to facilitate system maintenance with chlorine

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Control Zone Irrigation Equipment

The drip irrigation system must be monitored and operated.  It cannot be stressed enough how important the first two categories (flow meters and pressure gauges) are to assess performance and guidance for operation, and how important the last two categories (valves and controllers) are to deriving the maximum benefit from a drip irrigation system. System Flow Meters System Flow Meters are available in a range of sizes and types, and commonly provide both instantaneous and cumulative water flow with an accuracy of approximately two percent.  Flow meters may also be fitted with electrical analog conversion units that are capable of transmitting flow rate data to a centralized irrigation control computer.  A micro-irrigation system offers the user an unprecedented degree of control over his water and power costs, and over the growing conditions of his crop.  To take full advantage of this ability to control the irrigation system, it is necessary to

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Drip Irrigation Emitters and Emission Devices

Emission devices vary according to their flow rate, hydraulic characteristics and wetting pattern.  The ideal emission device is durable (withstands outdoor conditions), resists clogging (large internal passageways, self-flushing), is insensitive to pressure variation that occurs as a result of slope and/or lengths of run (pressure compensating), accurate (low manufacturing Coefficient of Variation, or CV), and is economically affordable.  Drip irrigation emission devices are typically installed on the surface such that there is flexibility in placement and convenience for management.  These attributes are achieved via advanced plastics, hydraulics, and injection molding technology. Drip Tape Drip Tape is a “line-source” product that incorporates a series of relatively inexpensive, engineered emission devices into a thin walled tube.  Water is distributed evenly along the length of the tube through emission devices which may be spaced anywhere from 4″ to 24″ apart.  To accommodate various crops and terrain, tube wall thicknesses are available from .004″

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About Us

Welcome to DripTips – Toro’s drip irrigation blog and educational website. Whether you’re just getting started or want to know how to get the most out of your drip irrigation system, you’re in the right place. Here, you’ll find drip irrigation best practices, how-to guides, tips, trends, videos, design tools, case studies, and links to the latest drip irrigation news.

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A Look Back at 2012 and the Drought

Nebraska Producer, Gary Greving estimating a 2- to 5-bushel improvement with SDI As we move into a new year, it is sometimes helpful to take a moment to reflect on the previous. An issue that touched almost everyone last year was the drought.  Some regions were affected worse than others, but the conclusion was the same:  Water is a precious resource and it is important to look for better and more efficient ways to conserve and irrigate. One of the regions most affected by the drought was the Midwest.  Many producers lost water and crops to scorching heat or dry winds.  Fortunately, some producers saw potential in water-saving technologies, such as subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and started converting their fields from other less efficient irrigation techniques.  Some of these producers even saw increased yields.  In the following Nebraska Farmer article, reporter Dan Crummet interviewed a couple of Nebraska producers to see how subsurface drip irrigation helped them

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Toro Introduces Thinwall Dripline

This week, Toro announced its newest micro-irrigation product line, Thinwall Dripline.  Ideal for applications such as subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and semi-permanent crops, Thinwall Dripline is also great for growers who prefer a flat, molded emitter inside an extruded, thin-walled tube. The following are the features and benefits of Toro’s new Thinwall Dripline: Flat, molded emitter is highly resistant to plugging to optimize performance in challenging conditions, such as poor water quality and organic fertilizers Requires only 120-mesh filtration to minimize clogging Available in 10, 13, and 15 mil wall thicknesses, and popular 5/8” and 7/8” internal diameters to address variable field conditions Available in five different emitter flow rates, including 0.16, 0.25, 0.30, 0.47, and 0.75 GPH to accommodate various soil conditions and/or system flow requirements Excellent CV of ≤ 3% for superior field uniformity Extruded tube constructed from ultra-high strength and premium quality materials allows easy installation and retrieval,

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