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mardi 18 février 2014

Tips To Understanding Pulse Irrigation

By Eliza Mendoza


As the world population grows so does the need for more food. This growth is coupled with a reduction in arable land as people settle and build homes where farming should be done. This forces mankind to come up with better farming methods that will take less space and produce more food. Systems like pulse irrigation has proven to be just one of the ways to make land more productive while using little water.

This system makes it possible to effectively manage your water resources. Since it is scalable, one can set it whatever way desired for the minimal water usage. Used with a drip or sprinkler system, the irrigation will be well managed. It can also be used together with the usual low flow systems and the ultra low flow systems.

It is even better used in places with scarcity of water like in desert regions. By passively allowing water to flow into a reservoir, it builds pressure at a controlled rate. Once the predetermined pressure is reached, the outlet valves are forced open hence a pulse of water flows out.

As the reservoir pressure reduces, the valves close giving the reservoir time to recharge. As long as the inlet is kept lower than outlet, the cycle of recharge and discharge will be kept going. A drip flow controller is used in this system to regulate the water flow rate into the reservoir.

Once set, this system can operate without any other input for long periods of time. This constant and frequent irrigation helps reduce water demand by the plant while also lowering water usage very efficiently. The plants are also protected from water stress due to the intermittent water supply to the soil.

Basically, this system operates by the strong magnets that attaches to the outlet valve. These holds it closed as the pressure builds. When it is strong enough, the reservoir pressure forces the top magnets open. As the pressure reduces, it drops down thereby closing the valve again allowing the recharging to start.

When used with a sprinkler system, the results are impressive. During seed germination, it can be set to sprinkle for 5 seconds every minute in the first two weeks after planting. This is then gradually adjusted till you can allow it to sprinkle for an 8 hour period three times a week. The basic determinants are the rain conditions, intensity of the sun and water need by the plant.

The advantages of using this pulse irrigation system are numerous. When used for drip and sprinkler systems, there are no run off on if using heavy soil. In sandy soil, you have no leaching and water is not lost even though sand has low water retention capabilities. In hilly areas and shallow soil, water can still be applied efficiently without any run off. Temperature control can be achieved through evaporative cooling by use of the intermittent sprinkling and use of foggers. Given the very low discharge rate, growing plants in containers or greenhouse will require less space. It allows for the use of lower capacity pumps and smaller conduits hence reduced system costs in general.




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