Eco Irrigation: A Study on Closed Loop, Ebb And Flow Irrigation for Large Scale Outdoor Production

摘要

From the dawn of civilization until slightly over a century ago, the sole form of irrigation was subsurface. Water was allowed to enter a planted field, and then drained. From Mesopotamia to the Nile Valley to the plains of India, food supplies were irrigated by drainage ditches and natural flooding. Surface water from accumulated rain or snow was the only water source. During the last hundred years, with the advent of deep wells, pumps, and engines, mankind gained the ability to remove vast quantities of aquifer water. This technology has allowed for various types of high-pressure irrigation systems, such as micro- and spray irrigation. Until the last two decades, the aquifer was generally considered an inexhaustible source, and the use of surfacewater assumed a secondary role in many areas. Now that worldwide population has exploded and water consumption has dramatically increased, fresh water supplies are becoming very taxed. Because agriculture consumes the majority of the world's fresh water, it is essential to reconsider any method of conserving water in crop production.