Erosion-safe sprinkle irrigation technology: formation, results, and problems

摘要

Irrigation is a kind of agro technology that is a component of an intensive cropping system. It should comply with the requirements of the concept of rational use of natural resources. Sprinkle irrigation will be environmentally safe if soil erosionis prevented. But considerable uncontrolled surface water runoff and sheet soil water erosion has been observed for decades under sprinkle irrigation in Russia and other countries. To prevent runoff and erosion in full compliance with the concept of rational use of natural resources we should economically optimize all viable options of erosion-safe sprinkle irrigation technologies, including in the components of the latter term a sprinkle system with its inherent erosion-safe irrigation schedules for the crops. The main problem in implementing optimum erosion-safe sprinkle irrigation technologies is determining pre-runoff application depths for various sprinkle systems operating in different conditions.