Prepare a design for a micro irrigation system for an area of forty square metres, to a standard which is adequate for a contractor to install the system; and including:
- Plans
- Calculations
- Materials specifications
How Do You Make Better Use of Water Resources?
If you irrigate properly, you will water thoroughly and infrequently.
By making sure the water penetrates the soil properly and wets the total root zone every time, you will find each irrigation event will have maximum benefit and the soil will take longer to dry out (reducing the frequency of irrigations required).
The amount of water applied and the period between irrigations will need to be adjusted continually to take into account changing weather conditions and changing soil conditions (where soils are being cultivated).
The quantity of water that is applied can also be restricted by the available supply. This has become an increasing problem in heavily populated areas where the population growth has outstripped any increases in water storage, as well as in rural areas where rising salinity levels are a problem in water supplies.
Deep-rooted plants (eg. trees, pasture species such as phalaris and Lucerne) are able to draw up water from deeper in the soil than shallow-rooted plants. If these plants are watered in a way that the water penetrates deeper, there will be a supply of water deep in the soil which is insulated from the surface by the soil above. This water will remain in the soil accessible to the plant for a long time, whereas water near the surface will have dried out from the effects of the sun or wind over the soil surface (evaporation).
All plants need water to grow and to survive. The amount of water needed, however, will vary from plant to plant. The two main factors that affect how much water a plant needs are:
1. The variety of the plant. Some types of plants have the ability to retain water within their tissues for later use. Other plants are unable to do this.
2. The environment in which the plant is growing. If there is plenty of water available around the plant, then the soil is likely to retain more moisture than it would in exposed windy or sunny situations.
Obviously plants can suffer from a lack of water, but just as importantly, plants also suffer from an excessive amount of water. When you water a plant it is important to strike that delicate balance between too little and too much. Over watering can be just as detrimental as under watering.
Managing watering properly can at the end of the day, make a huge impact upon the productivity of a farm.
It isn't necessarily how much you water; but rather how and when you choose to irrigate; that makes the difference.
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