How to choose an irrigation system for different fields and production volumes

Sooner or later, the developing agricultural sector raises the question of the need to equip fields with irrigation systems. The modern market offers a large number of equipment for irrigation. How to understand this assortment and choose the most reliable and profitable option in specific conditions, we will tell in this article.

Circular widespread installations

Currently, circular wide-angle machines are in the greatest demand in the Russian market. They are able to cover from 20 to 200 hectares of field, depending on the length of the installation. The main advantage of stationary circular systems is their autonomy: machines successfully perform their tasks without operator control.

When thinking over the irrigation system of a specific site, several important factors must be taken into account: the size of the field, its shape, topography, and the presence of obstacles (forest areas, power lines). Irrigating a large field may require several sprinklers. With their competent arrangement, it is possible to achieve coverage of 80-85% of its entire area, which is considered a good result for circular machines.

Sector installation (part of the circle) allows you to irrigate the field without touching the areas with obstacles. However, if such a machine covers a sector with a central angle of less than 180 degrees, then its use becomes unprofitable.

Special attention should be paid to the selection of equipment for irrigation of fields with complex terrain. Large elevation changes can cause the sprinkler to tip over during operation. In addition, it should be borne in mind that when passing the installation along significant slopes, the pressure at the inlet to the central support of the machine increases (which means that only pipes with increased wall thickness should be used on the first flights of the installation), and the greater the differences, the more “thick” pipes will be needed for the construction. It will also affect the pumping station and the plastic pipeline, the price for the entire set of equipment will increase in the same way.

Infrastructure

To commission a circular machine, it is necessary to prepare the infrastructure: lay a plastic pipeline, pour a concrete base under the central pyramid of the sprinkler, select a pump station and determine the source of electricity.

If electricity is connected to the field, an electric pumping station can be installed. If not, an alternative solution would be to install a diesel generator and pump station.

However, all this applies to farms that are introducing artificial irrigation technologies on their territory for the first time. But there are frequent cases when an enterprise solves the issue of replacing existing (often from the time of the USSR) systems with more modern ones. Updating the system naturally costs less, as the enterprise has the infrastructure from the old installation: the pipeline and pumping station are preserved.

At the same time, the quality of work of old and new equipment is almost incomparable. Modern cars cover almost the entire area of the field. The task of irrigation of the most inaccessible areas is performed by powerful terminal water cannons. The new irrigation machines are equipped with a wide range of sprinkler belts suitable for irrigation of various crops. For more productive work, the circular sprinkler can be equipped with a liquid fertilizer application system, a weather station with soil moisture sensors.

Drum sprinkler machines. Small Field Solutions

In fields where it is impossible to locate wide-angle machines (as a rule, these are small areas with an area of 20 to 50 hectares), we recommend installing drum-type irrigation machines.

One such plant effectively irrigates 25-30 hectares. The principle of its operation is simple: first, with the help of a tractor, the coil is unwound, the pump station is started, and the coil starts to be automatically reeled up (thanks to the water flowing through the turbine under pressure from the pump station). During hose reeling, watering also takes place. Such a design has been tested over decades of operation around the world and meets its tasks as much as possible.

The indisputable advantages of drum-type machines include their cost (compared to wide-grip), as well as mobility and ease of installation (which allows you to quickly move them from one field to another).

But the "coils" have their drawbacks. To begin with, at least two to three people must control the operation of a drum-type machine. The irrigation speed of a sprinkler-type drum machine, as compared to wide-grip machines, also leaves much to be desired: watering a standard field of 30 hectares in size will take the machine at least 10 days. At the same time, the quality of irrigation will be impeccable, since it is quite difficult to control the uniformity of water supply, which means that plants in certain parts of the field may not receive the required amount of moisture.

To commission the drum-type machines, it will also be necessary to lay a plastic pipeline, but instead of a concrete base, hydrants will be needed to connect the “coil” to the pipeline. The number of hydrants depends on the configuration of the field, on average, they are installed every 50 meters (if the "coil" is used with the console) or every 60 meters (if the "coil" without the console). Electric or diesel pumping units can be used to power the machine with water.

Instead of a plastic pipe, we recommend our customers using a quick-assembled aluminum. Due to its design, it can be easily disassembled and transported to new sections if necessary.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that each of the presented types of machines is effective in certain conditions, has its pros and cons and is in good demand in the market. And the experts will always help you with the choice.

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