Why Field Crop Growers Love Drip Irrigation: Alfalfa Corn Cotton Onions Potatoes and ProcessingTomatoes

摘要

Drip irrigation has long been proven as beneficial and economical on fruit, nut and vegetable crops throughout the world, but recently field crop growers are realizing the benefits as well. Adjustments to both the drip irrigation system and the crop growing practices are often necessary; however, the benefits of making these changes often outweigh the costs. Cited benefits include increased yields, increased quality and increased uniformity in addition to reduced water, fertilizer, energy, labor andchemical costs. Since the plants are not wetted, disease is drastically reduced too. In addition, field accessibility is significantly improved compared to gravity and sprinkler irrigation systems, allowing for simpler logistics with other cultural operations. These increases in revenue, reductions in cost and improvements in convenience have consistently offset the cost of adopting drip irrigation systems, and in many cases have allowed continued production of crops in areas where water supplies are severely depleted or restricted, or where gravity and sprinkler technologies are too wasteful.Specific examples are cited for alfalfa, corn, cotton, onion, potato and processing tomato production using surface drip systems, subsurface drip irrigation systems (SDI) and hybrid systems. Keys to success include drip system design, equipment selection, installation and management; specific changes in crop cultural practices; and innovations in cultural equipment design.Two software tools that help in the drip irrigation adoption and management process are introduced: The Drip Micro Payback Wizard, which allows growers to estimate the payback period associated with adoption of drip irrigation; and the Aqua-Traxx Irrigation Calculator, which aids in calculating run times, aids in selecting appropriate drip tape flow rates and spacings, and aids in assessing the impact of emission uniformity on estimated irrigation run times.