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SDI in the Great Plains​

Session 2. Non-Traditional Uses of Microirrigation

 

Freeze Protection of Florida Citrus with Microsprinkler Irrigation

L. R. Parsons and T. A. Wheaton

Microsprinkler irrigation became the primary method of frost and freeze protection in Florida citrus between 1981 and 1989. This paper reviews research on the use of microsprinklers for freeze protection in Florida. Microsprinklers protect the trunks of young trees not only in calm frosts but also in severe advective freezes. Good protection of young trees has been obtained in freezes with minimum temperatures of -9.4° C and winds of 32 km/hr. Young tree protection can be increased by angling the spray pattern upward to a height of approximately 0.9 m. Placement of the microsprinkler emitter is critical. It must be on the upwind (usually northwest) side of the tree. If application rate is inadequate or if water spray is intermittent or stops, evaporative cooling can cause more damage than no irrigation. Microsprinklers also provide partial freeze protection for mature trees. Increased air temperature and reduced damage above the spray zone have been observed. Best freeze protection of mature trees occurs during calm frosts with water applied at rates of 18,700 liters ha-1 hr-1 or more. Raising the microsprinkler above ground level is beneficial and saves more of the tree canopy. Elevating the emitter in 2 to 5 year old trees to approximately 1 m protected scaffold limbs to a greater height and promoted more rapid recover of canopy and fruit protection after a major freeze in 1989.

Keywords: Frost, Orange, Cold, Microirrigation, Climate

Abstract taken from paper found on pages 25 to 30 in Proceedings of 5th International Microirrigation Congress, April 2-6, 1995, Orlando, Florida. American Society of Agricultural Engineers, 2950 Niles Road, St. Joseph, Michigan 49085-9659, USA. Phone: 616-429-0300 FAX: 616-429-3852 EMAIL: HQ@ASAE.ORG

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Microsprinkler Irrigation for Freeze Protection of Young Citrus Trees

F. S. Davies

Microsprinkler irrigation was not widely used in Florida for freeze protection of young (<3-years old) citrus trees before 1982 due to lack of research information concerning its effectiveness and safety. Since then, several studies have been conducted to define factors that affect microsprinkler efficiency during both radiative and advective freezes. Factors that greatly improve freeze protection effectiveness of microsprinklers include moving emitters to the northwest of the tree, using narrow irrigation patterns (90° ) and combining microirrigation with tree wraps. Microsprinkler irrigation also provides freeze protection when pulsed to increase area of the grove to be protected. However, intermittent microsprinkler irrigation is not used primarily due to problems with system design. Computer simulation also has been used in conjunction with field studies to determine factors that influence trunk temperature and tree survival in the wrap-irrigation system. Simulations suggest that increasing the surface area of the wrap covered by irrigation increases trunk temperatures and that wraps alone are most effective when air temperature decreases rapidly (> .75° Ch-1) during a freeze. Microsprinkler irrigation provided very effective freeze protection to young citrus trees during record freezes of the 1980s. Currently (1994), over 60% of citrus growers in Florida use microsprinkler irrigation for freeze protection of young citrus trees.

Keywords: Citrus, Freeze Hardiness, Cold, Frost, Irrigation

Abstract taken from paper found on pages 31 to 36 in Proceedings of 5th International Microirrigation Congress, April 2-6, 1995, Orlando, Florida. American Society of Agricultural Engineers, 2950 Niles Road, St. Joseph, Michigan 49085-9659, USA. Phone: 616-429-0300 FAX: 616-429-3852 EMAIL: HQ@ASAE.ORG

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Aquaculture Aeration Using Irrigation Porous Pipe

F. S. Zazueta, R. A. Bucklin, M. Turner, F. A. Chapman and A. M. Lazur

As an alternative to conventional aeration techniques for acquacultural production in man-made ponds, this work proposes to use porous irrigation pipe to inject air into the body of water in order to improve the distribution of oxygen. Tests of porous pipe properties were made, such as roughness and pressure air-discharge relationships. Design equations were developed and are presented in this work, including a design criteria based on air discharge variation over the porous pipe network. Tests were conducted for toxicity of the materials and the behavior of the system under near commercial aquacultural production conditions. The feasibility of the system was demonstrated.

Keywords: Aerator, Dissolved oxygen

Abstract taken from paper found on pages 37 to 42 in Proceedings of 5th International Microirrigation Congress, April 2-6, 1995, Orlando, Florida. American Society of Agricultural Engineers, 2950 Niles Road, St. Joseph, Michigan 49085-9659, USA. Phone: 616-429-0300 FAX: 616-429-3852 EMAIL: HQ@ASAE.ORG

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Subirrigation Using Drip Irrigation Laterals

Gary A. Clark and Craig D. Stanley

Drip irrigation lateral tubes were used as a water conveyance system in place of lateral field ditches or drainage tile lines for subirrigation purposes. Drip tube lateral lines were buried 40 cm (16 in.) deep on 6.5 m(21.3 ft) centers with a water discharge of 3.7L/min per 100 m @ 68 kPa (0.3 gpm per 100 ft @ 10 psi) pressure. The system was operated to establish and maintain a perched water table under grass cover crop conditions. Average daily irrigation applications ranged from 0.2 to 0.5 cm (0.08 to 0.20 in) with daily grass reference evapotranspiration (ETo) ranging from 0.3 to 0.5 cm (0.12 to 0.20 in). This system uses microirrigation technology for subirrigation on high water table, flatwoods soils. Increases in system efficiency occur from increased uniformity of application, elimination of tailwater runoff, and minimization of lag time in water table position response to irrigation inputs.

Keywords: Microirrigation, Water table management, Irrigation Efficiency

Abstract taken from paper found on pages 43 to 48 in Proceedings of 5th International Microirrigation Congress, April 2-6, 1995, Orlando, Florida. American Society of Agricultural Engineers, 2950 Niles Road, St. Joseph, Michigan 49085-9659, USA. Phone: 616-429-0300 FAX: 616-429-3852 EMAIL: HQ@ASAE.ORG

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Non-traditional use of Microirrigation Tubing for Water Quality Protection

C. D. Stanley and G. A. Clark

Field experiments were conducted to test the impact of controlled water table positions using the fully-enclosed subirrigation (FES) system and reduced fertilizer applications on fresh-market tomato and bell pepper production. The experiment consisted of three controlled water table level treatments (45, 60, and 75 cm below the bed surface) and three fertilization rate combinations (192, 276, and 360 kg N/acre and 221, 318, and 415 kg K/acre, respectively). Fruit yield and quality were used to determine the impact of applied fertilizer rates and water table levels. Results showed that production levels were comparable among fertilizer rates and water table levels with no significant interactions among treatments. Data indicate that lower water table levels used in combination with lower fertilizer rates had no detrimental effect on yield and increased water quality protection by reducing the potential for fertilizer to be leached by excessive rainfall.

Keywords: Subirrigation, water table management, fully-enclosed subirrigation

Abstract taken from paper found on pages 49 to 53 in Proceedings of 5th International Microirrigation Congress, April 2-6, 1995, Orlando, Florida. American Society of Agricultural Engineers, 2950 Niles Road, St. Joseph, Michigan 49085-9659, USA. Phone: 616-429-0300 FAX: 616-429-3852 EMAIL: HQ@ASAE.ORG

Use of Ultra-Low Rate Application Devices to Eliminate Macropore Flow During Irrigation

John Selker, Weidong Cao, and Richard Roseberg

One of the most widely implicated mechanisms for contaminant transport under agricultural production is preferential flow along macropores driven by high intensity irrigation. If soil is maintained at a significantly negative matric potentials, thereby avoiding ponding conditions, macropore flow can be eliminated. In our study, an ultra-low rate surface irrigation system (<0.2 mm/hr) was utilized to apply water at sufficiently low rates to preclude macropore flow in a cracking clay soil. Ultra-low rate surface irrigation has the potential to both reduce the contaminant loading to the groundwater and increase the application efficiency.

Keywords: macropore flow, ultra-low rate irrigation, groundwater

Abstract taken from paper found on pages 54 to 59 in Proceedings of 5th International Microirrigation Congress, April 2-6, 1995, Orlando, Florida. American Society of Agricultural Engineers, 2950 Niles Road, St. Joseph, Michigan 49085-9659, USA. Phone: 616-429-0300 FAX: 616-429-3852 EMAIL: HQ@ASAE.ORG