Obtaining a full-fledged harvest is the most important concern of farmers, and all people in general. This is due to the fact that the population is growing, and the amount of suitable land is constantly decreasing. Therefore, the problem of irrigation of arid soil comes to the fore. There are a lot of similar areas on the planet, so introducing them into agricultural use through irrigation will greatly help solve the nutrition problem.
What is soil irrigation
Lack of moisture in the soil leads to the fact that plants do not gain green mass well, bear scanty fruit and may not survive to harvest at all.That is why soil irrigation is so important - supplying water to areas allocated for various agricultural and ornamental crops.
Irrigation is designed to increase the amount of moisture in the layer of soil in which the bulk of plant roots grow. Together with drainage, it is included in the main types of land reclamation and is its hydraulic engineering variety.
The use of soil irrigation leads to a decrease in temperature in the layer of air closest to the ground, increases the level of humidity and, most importantly, helps to increase the supply of plant root systems with water and nutrients dissolved in it.
Irrigation system components
Irrigation systems are areas on which structures are located that provide water supply to a specific area. They are open and closed. In the first case, channels are used to supply water, in the second - pipelines.
In most cases, irrigation systems consist of a number of components:
- Water source.
- Water intake structure.
- Water supply devices or a whole network of them.
- Irrigation network and devices.
- Catchment-spout network.
- Drainage.
- Additional and auxiliary structures.
- Infrastructure.
Depending on what components are used to create an irrigation system, they can be gravity-fed or water-lifted if pumping devices are used.
Irrigation methods
The main irrigation methods include the following:
- Irrigation along grooves and furrows with water from an irrigation canal or pumping. The most ancient method of irrigation, used to this day.
- Spraying by supplying water through pipes.
- Aerosol irrigation, in which water is sprayed into fine sprays.Serves to cool and humidify the layer of air at the surface of the earth.
- Subsurface irrigation, in which water drops into the plants directly into the root zone.
- Sprinkling is the spraying of water in circular or frontal systems, which can be self-propelled or transportable.
- Estuary-type irrigation, in which local waters are poured once in the spring and deeply moisten the soil.
The choice of irrigation technique depends on the planting area, soil types, climate, plants grown and much more.
Rules
For proper irrigation, it is necessary to calculate the amount of moisture needed for the full growing season of plants. This takes into account the specifics of the climate, the condition of the soil, and the requirements of plants during different periods of the growing season.
Treatment of irrigated soil
When watering, a soil crust forms, which must be destroyed to allow air to reach the roots and further penetration of moisture. Mulching can also help in such cases.
In spring, such soils are carefully leveled to avoid moisture accumulation in lowlands and waterlogging. Plants on irrigated lands also require the use of pesticides, but they must be handled with extreme care so as not to lead to the accumulation of toxic components in the soil.
What crops are grown on irrigated soil?
Theoretically, any crop can be grown on irrigated land.This depends on the climate, soil quality and plant species, as well as the irrigation method and amount of water used. For example, in Israel, most fruit, berry and vegetable plants are grown using drip irrigation, and in the UAE, under hot desert conditions, even palm trees are grown.
In industrial agriculture, irrigated land is needed to grow most melons (except watermelons) because they love sun and warmth but have shallow roots. Irrigation is also required to grow cotton, corn, rice and other grains.
What problems might you encounter?
Despite the significant advantages of soil irrigation, it also has a number of significant disadvantages:
- Secondary salinization. This is a threat that occurs with uncontrolled irrigation in desert climates.
- Water pollution – underground and surface.
- Erosion of irrigation origin (erosion).
- Accumulation of the cultural horizon of soils caused by the use of irrigation.
- Waterlogging.
- Relief subsidence.
- Shallowing of reservoirs.
These negative results require a serious approach to the use of soil irrigation.
