In agriculture, you can rely on rains, hoping to get a good harvest, and such years really happen. However, in most cases, a dry month in the summer can nullify all the efforts of farmers, so the irrigation system becomes so necessary. This is the cornerstone of the successful cultivation of food: grain, vegetables, fruits. Thanks to artificial irrigation alone, many areas that were only conditionally suitable for agriculture turned into lush gardens. Irrigation has its own subtleties and nuances, and it is worth understanding them.
What is irrigation?
Irrigation itself is part of a broader science, land reclamation, that is, land conversion for best use. Reclamation includes both drainage of marshy areas and the reverse process - watering. By and large, an irrigation system is a complex of structures and mechanisms that allows you to deliver water to an area that is in dire need of additional watering.
In addition, irrigation refers to the whole complex of measures designed to deliver irrigation water to any place where it is required, regardless of the methods - from the construction of ponds and canals to the rise of groundwater to the surface. Mankind has always needed water, so the irrigation system is so necessary. The definition in this case is extremely concise - any system that allows you to deliver water for irrigation of plants can be considered irrigation.
The evolution of irrigation systems
The most primitive method of watering is manual labor without the use of mechanization. That is, if the water in the vessels is delivered from a natural source. Despite the development of technical thought, this method is still used, and not only in the developing countries of Africa - many summer residents in our country still carry water in buckets to water the beds. This is a labor with extremely low efficiency, so people have always sought to mechanize the process. So there were all kinds of irrigation facilities, from Central Asian aryks to Roman aqueducts, which still amaze the imagination with their well-thought-out technicality.
Gravity delivery of water was not possible everywhere, and soon windmills and water mills appeared, which could not only grind grain, but also raise water, direct part of the flow upwards, despite gravity. At the moment, the use of pumps and pipelines has reduced human involvement to a minimum, because a modern irrigation system is primarily an automation of the process.
Surface irrigation
Still popular, but rather risky and unreasonable type of irrigation is surface irrigation. If water is supplied to the fields along the surface of the earth, along furrows, canals and canals, evaporation increases significantly. However, some other negative phenomena are not excluded.
For surface irrigation, the simplest irrigation system is used. These are flowing ditches, grooves into which water is directed from a central channel or other source. Also, the surface irrigation can conditionally be attributed to the estuary method of irrigation, when hollow waters are detained in limited spaces by analogy with flood meadows.
Sprinklers
The irrigation system, which uses a sprinkler, is closer to natural phenomena . Water from channels laid along the field rises into a sprinkler, which then dissipates moisture, simulating rain. In fact, it is a large pump moving along the channel with a long tubular system to form a cloud of water droplets.
Compared to surface irrigation, this irrigation scheme erodes the soil less, spares planting and promotes uniform soil moisture to the desired depth. The disadvantages of this system include a greater consumption of water for evaporation.
Drip irrigation
In conditions when it is necessary to save water, but there is an urgent need to grow food, a drip irrigation system is more economical and reasonable. The peculiarity of drip irrigation is that water does not spill on the surface. Its open sources may also be completely absent.
Water is supplied in drops through holes in a special watering sleeve, which is stationary laid along a number of plants. Thus, it is possible to water strictly those plants that need attention. Aisles remain almost dry. Such irrigation facilities are usually equipped with automatic systems, including irrigation at certain times and shutting down as unnecessary.
Basal watering
Another interesting way to supply plants with moisture is root watering, when the carrying stream of water is not on the surface of the earth, but in a deepening, almost at the roots. Conventionally, root watering can be considered measures related to raising the groundwater level so that plants receive moisture exclusively to the place of demand. These two subspecies have a significant difference: the laying of root pipes is not suitable if large-area irrigation is necessary. But raising the groundwater level is quite suitable and can turn a moderately arid area into a productive land.
Positive and negative effects of artificial irrigation
Unfortunately, irrigation not only carries positive aspects, but has rather serious consequences for the state of the soil, so thoughtless watering as a result can only do much harm. Land use should be considered in the long term, as far as possible to maintain and improve agricultural soils, this will give a good reserve for the future. How can ordinary field irrigation harm?
Immediately worth mentioning the positive point. It is irrigation that makes it possible to significantly expand the area of land suitable for growing agricultural crops. There is more food in the world, and this is the good side of artificial irrigation.
Negative consequences include phenomena such as irrigation soil erosion and rapid salinization of land, and this is not an empty threat. That is why specialists constantly research irrigation methods to minimize possible damage. This should also include the thoughtless expenditure of fresh water, which in some areas is more than wasteful. Surface irrigation, compared to drip, is unprofitable at times, while it very quickly leads to soil erosion and salinization. If, while farming, farmers and agricultural firms abuse mineral fertilizers, which gives a short-term surge in productivity, then salinization takes on a catastrophic pace.
Developing the latest irrigation methods is an investment in the future. Humanity has made significant progress in this matter, but it has probably not yet used all the possibilities. The hope remains that predatory agriculture and primitive irrigation will sooner or later become a thing of the past.