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Category: Drip Irrigation News

Drip Crop Irrigation on Alfalfa

Drip Irrigation on AlfalfaWhen Bob Thomas and his son Rob began farming in the Imperial Valley six years ago, they quickly recognized that there must be a better way to irrigate their alfalfa. They soon discovered that cutting-edge growers were successfully using drip irrigation instead of sprinklers or gravity irrigation. After diligent research, they installed their first 116 acres with Toro’s Aqua-Traxx® drip tape in September of 2009, and have experienced significant benefits since then.

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Typical Drip Irrigation System Layout

If you’ve ever wondered how a drip irrigation system works, Toro makes it easy to visualize. A new illustration shows typical drip irrigation layouts with key components for five different types of drip irrigation systems: field crop Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI), short-term vegetable crop, longer-term vegetable crop, vineyard, and orchard. Go to drip irrigation layout to download a copy. Picture the possibilities. www.dripirrigation.org

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New Online Drip Irrigation Calculator – Estimate Application Rates and Run Times

What It Does This drip irrigation online tool quickly calculates application rates in inches per hour – along with the number of hours required to apply 0.1 inches and 1.0 inches of water – for all Aqua-Traxx and Aqua-Traxx PC models in specific field conditions. The flow rate at the selected pressure is also shown in both gph/emitter and gpm/100′.   How It Works Choose the Aqua-Traxx model from the pull-down menu, and then enter the tape inlet pressure, the tape lateral spacing and the drip system emission uniformity to calculate your results. For example, based on EAXxx0834 with an inlet pressure of 10 psi, a tape lateral spacing of 3.5 feet and an emission uniformity of 90%, the calculator estimates a system application rate of 0.9 inches per hour, as well as 1.1 hours to apply 0.1 inches of water or 11.1 hours to apply 1.0 inches of water.

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Closer Emitters Can Yield Better Results

Closely spaced drip tape emitters can enhance salt management for seed germination, leach salts in permanent crops, dilute soil salinity for salt-sensitive crops and manipulate the wetting pattern – all with less cost and more efficiency than widely spaced emitters. But with so many variables in farming applications, how do you know this is the best option? Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Drip and Micro Irrigation Design and Management Manual, published by the Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC) in 2007, offers the following guidance: Seed Germination In more arid areas, widely spaced emitters (such as one tape for every two rows, or emitter spacing greater than 16″) can cause salt buildup between the holes, which will prevent seeds from emerging in these areas. To help push salts away from seeds and enhance germination: Use drip tape on the soil’s surface or just a few centimeters below with closely spaced

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Drip Irrigation Payback Wizard on toro.com

Find out what upgrading to drip irrigation could mean to your bottom line with Toro’s new Drip Irrigation Payback Wizard, developed in partnership with the Irrigation Association’s (IA) Drip/Micro Common Interest Group. Just answer five questions about the crop, and this online tool will analyze average production and investment costs, as well as projected revenue increases, to estimate the payback period and additional acres that could be farmed with the water saved. To click here to get started: Drip Irrigation Payback Wizard. Visit toro.com to learn more.

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Why Drip Irrigation is Gaining Popularity

Improved crop yield and quality. Water and nutrients are spoon-fed to the crop uniformly and on the desired schedule. Water conservation. Drip irrigation helps stretch limited water supplies by reducing water runoff, deep percolation and/or over-irrigation due to poor application uniformity. Reduced costs. Water, fertilizer, energy, labor, chemicals, weeding, insurance, and field operations tend to cost less compared to alternative irrigation technologies. Improved logistics. Because crop wheel rows remain dry with drip irrigation, drip fields are typically more accessible regardless of the irrigation schedule. Reduced disease. Since water is not applied within the plant canopy, humidity and associated disease problems are reduced. Reduced puddling can also decrease the opportunity for E. coli to grow. visit www.dripirrigation.org to learn more.

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Weilmunster Farms, Parma, ID – Drip Irrigation Increases Yield for Idaho Farm

Drip Irrigation on HopsThe benefits of drip irrigation are easy to see at Weilmunster Farms in Parma, Idaho. After adopting drip technology, the farm increased its hops yields by 400 pounds per acre, which translated into increased revenues of $800 to $1,600 per acre.

Using Fewer Resources

Beyond the increased production, Weilmunster Farms cut water use in half, reduced fertilizer use substantially, and had fewer weeds because the water was targeted to the root zone. They also eliminated sidedressing and corrugating for rill irrigation, and discovered they could irrigate prior to harvest without concern for a dry down period. They’ve even reduced theft by eliminating siphon tubes.

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News Archive

If you simply can’t get enough of drip irrigation, check out our drip irrigation news archive.  We have links to all kinds of articles and white papers from over the years. 2012 Articles Hydraulic Considerations for Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) Investigating Strategies to Improve Crop Germination When Using Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI), A Multifactor Decision for Growers Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI), The Basics of Successful Systems Southeast Cotton Growers Taking Closer Look at Drip Irrigation Spoon-feeding Pepper Crops One Drip at a Time Study Suggests Drip Irrigation Helps Manage Fertilizer Emissions Subsurface Drip Irrigation Has Benefit in Some Orchard Situations Sustainability at Campbell’s Texas Corn on Drip Irrigation (videos) Twenty-Two Years of Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) Research in Kansas Understanding Drip Irrigation Using the K-State Center Pivot Sprinkler and Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) Economic Comparison Spreadsheet 2011 Articles California Almonds a Positive Tale of Agricultural Water Use Can

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