Drip- irrigation Systems for Small Conventional Vegetable Farms and Organic Vegetable Farms. Eric Simonne, Robert Hochmuth, Jacque Breman, William Lamont, Danielle Treadwell, and Aparna Gazula.
A drip-irrigation system—when properly designed, maintained and operated—can be a production asset for a small farm. Using drip irrigation for profitable. When you carry bulky items in your arms. One Canadian-approved personal flotation device or lifejacket of appropriate size for each person on board; One buoyant heaving line of not less than 15m in length.
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A drip- irrigation system—when properly designed, maintained and operated—can be a production asset for a small farm. Using drip irrigation for profitable vegetable production requires an understanding of several basic engineering and horticultural concepts and their application. The goals of this publication are to present the principles behind drip irrigation and some practical guidelines for successful and profitable use of drip irrigation. Overview of Drip Irrigation. What is drip irrigation?
Plasticulture is the combined use of drip irrigation, polyethylene mulch and raised beds. Greatest productivity and earliness may be achieved in vegetable production by combining plasticulture with the use of transplants. Is drip irrigation adapted to all operations? Drip irrigation is not a silver bullet; it may not be applicable to all farms. Yet, when properly managed, it is a valuable production technique that may reduce labor and production costs while improving productivity. Small farmers considering the use of drip irrigation should evaluate both the advantages and disadvantages of this system to determine the benefits of drip irrigation for their operation. What are the main advantages of drip irrigation?
Reduced water use: Because drip irrigation brings the water to the plant root zone and does not wet the entire field, drip irrigation typically requires half to a quarter of the volume of water required by comparable overhead- irrigation systems. Joint management of irrigation and fertilization: Drip irrigation can improve the efficiency of both water and fertilizer. Precise application of nutrients is possible using drip irrigation. Hence, fertilizer costs and soluble nutrient losses may be reduced with drip irrigation. Nutrient applications may also be better timed to meet plant needs. Reduced pest problems: Weed and disease problems may be reduced because drip irrigation does not wet the row middles or the foliage of the crops as does overhead irrigation.
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Simplicity: Polyvinyl chloride (pvc) and polyethylene parts are widely available in several diameters and are easy to assemble. Many customized, easy- to- install connectors, endcaps, and couplers are available in different diameters. Cutting and gluing allows for timely repairs. Low pumping needs: Drip systems require low operating pressure (2.
Many existing small pumps and wells may be used to adequately irrigate small acreage using drip systems. Automation: Drip- irrigation application may be simply managed and programmed with an AC- or battery- powered controller, thereby reducing labor cost.
Adaptation: Drip systems are adaptable to oddly shaped fields or those with uneven topography or soil texture, thereby eliminating the underutilized or non- cropped corners and maximizing the use of available land. Production advantages: Combined with raised beds, polyethylene mulch, and transplants, drip irrigation enhances earliness and crop uniformity. Using polyethylene mulch also increases the cleanliness of harvested products and reduces the risk of contamination with soil- born pathogens. Reflective mulches further help reduce the incidence of viral diseases by affecting insect vectors, such as thrips, whiteflies or aphids.
What are the disadvantages of drip irrigation? Drip irrigation requires an economic investment: Drip- irrigation systems typically cost $5. Table 1). Part of the cost is a capital investment useful for several years, and another part is due to the annual cost of disposable parts. Growers new to drip irrigation should start with a relatively simple system on a small acreage before moving to a larger system. Drip irrigation requires maintenance and high- quality water: Once emitters are clogged or the tape is damaged, the tape must be replaced. Water dripping from an emitter and the subsequent wetting pattern are hard to see, which makes it difficult to know if the system is working properly. Proper management of drip irrigation requires a learning period.
Water- application pattern must match planting pattern: If emitter spacing (too far apart) does not match the planting pattern, root development may be restricted and/or plants may die. Safety: Drip tubing may be lifted by wind or may be displaced by animals unless the drip tape is covered with mulch, fastened with wire anchor pins, or lightly covered with soil.
Leak repair: Drip lines can be easily cut or damaged by other farming operations, such as tilling, transplanting, or manual weeding with a hoe. Damage to drip tape caused by insects, rodents or birds may create large leaks that also require repair. Drip- tape disposal causes extra cleanup costs after harvest: Planning is needed for drip- tape disposal, recycling or reuse.
How does my drip- irrigation system affect organic certification? Growers considering certified organic production should first become familiar with the National Organic Program (NOP) (http: //www. NOP/index. IE. htm) and the principles of organic production (Ferguson, 2. Treadwell, 2. 00.
All production inputs used in certified organic production must follow the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (Code of Federal Register . Drip irrigation itself (standard drip tape) is allowed. Products typically used with drip irrigation in conventional production systems that may or may not be allowed in certified organic production may be classified in four groups: water, products for drip- irrigation maintenance (algaecides, disinfectants and acids), fertilizers, and pesticides (Table 2). The design and maintenance of a drip- irrigation system should be clearly outlined in the Organic System Plan (farm plan required for certification), including any inputs that will be delivered through the drip- irrigation system.
In all cases, contact your certifying agency before using a product to confirm that use of that product will not jeopardize organic certification. Drip- irrigation water.
In most cases, groundwater, surface water, rainwater and potable water may be used in certified organic production. In some instances, the certifying agency may request a water analysis. Products for drip- irrigation maintenance. Within stated restrictions (see Table 2), CFR 2.
NOP lists the following substances as allowable as synthetic algaecide, disinfectant, and sanitizers: (1) alcohols, including (a) ethanol and (b) isopropanol; (2) chlorine materials . Additionally, under NOP Rule CFR 2. However, other compounds commonly found in readyto- use drip- irrigation cleaners and maintenance products and typically used inconventional systems (see Section 4. Fertilizers and pesticides.
No specific ruling prohibits NOP- compliant products from being distributed through a drip- irrigation system. Plans to use drip irrigation to distribute fertilizers and/or pesticides should be clearly outlined for approval in the Organic System Plan.
When in doubt, consult first with your certifying agency. All growers are obligated to follow state and federal guidelines for injecting inputs through irrigation systems (see Section 2. Is drip irrigation considered a Best Management Practice? Yes. Best Management Practices (BMPs) are cultural practices that help reduce the environmental impact of production while maintaining or increasing productivity. The BMP program for vegetables grown in Florida is described in . The BMP manual describes all the BMPs that apply to vegetable production, as well as a decision- tree to identify the BMPs that apply to each operation and guidelines for completing and submitting the Notice of Intent to Implement (Gazula et al., 2. Participation in the Florida BMP program and the organic certification program are two separate processes.
Vegetable growers who are enrolled in the statewide BMP program receive three statutory benefits: (1) a waiver of liability from reimbursement of cost and damages associated with the evaluation, assessment, or remediation of nitrate contamination of groundwater (Florida Statutes . F. S. 5. 70. 0. 85 (1)). Specific vegetable BMPs that address drip irrigation include BMP 3. Additional BMPs involving drip irrigation include BMP 2. BMP implementation requires record keeping (see Table 3). When properly implemented, all BMPs that apply to drip irrigation help to increase efficiency in the use of water and nutrients.
What is the best way (or best unit) to express irrigation rates when drip irrigation is used? For irrigation systems that entirely wet the field (overhead or flood systems), irrigation rates are typically expressed in inches. This unit of measurement represents a vertical amount of water (or a height). For example, 1 acre inch is the volume of water present on a 1- acre field with a 1- inch depth: 1 acre inch = 2.
Because drip irrigation does not wet the entire field, expressing drip- irrigation volumes as a height of water poorly represents reality. Instead, drip- irrigation volumes should be expressed in gallons- per- 1. In some cases, drip- irrigation volumes can be converted to and from water heights by considering the relative surface of the field under plastic mulch. For example, the relative surface under plastic mulch of a 1- acre field with 3.
Hence, if 0. 5 acre inch needs to be applied to that field through a drip- irrigation system, the total volume of water needed is 8,4. Because in a 1- acre field with beds of 4- ft centers there are 1. If a drip tape with a 2. In heavy soil, it is reasonable to assume that a drip tape installed in the middle of the bed will be sufficient to wet the entire bed width. However, research has shown that, on Florida's sandy soils, the wetted width seldom exceeds 1. Hence, the assumption made in the calculation above—that the entire bed width is wetted (and, therefore, irrigated)—is not correct for most drip- irrigation systems in Florida.