Achieving Optimal Irrigation: The Key to Uniformity in Sprinkler Systems

·?????? Uniform Water Distribution: Ensure even coverage through careful sprinkler overlap and wetted profile design.

·?????? Evaluating Efficiency: Use Christiansen’s Uniformity Coefficient, Distribution Uniformity, and Scheduling Coefficient to assess and optimize irrigation.

·?????? Choosing the Right System: Match sprinkler type and layout to crop needs, soil conditions, and water availability for effective irrigation.

When it comes to irrigation, uniformity is crucial for ensuring that every part of your field gets the right amount of water. This is where the concepts of overlap and irrigation profiles come into play, helping to design an efficient and effective sprinkler system.

Understanding Sprinkler Overlap Sprinkler overlap refers to the area where the spray patterns of adjacent sprinklers intersect. This overlap is essential for preventing dry spots and ensuring that water is distributed evenly across the entire field. By carefully designing the overlap, you can achieve uniform water distribution and avoid areas that receive too much or too little water.

The Wetted Profile The wetted profile is the area covered by water from a single sprinkler. This can vary depending on the type of sprinkler used, creating different patterns such as steps, bells, or the more common triangular shape. Understanding these patterns is key to designing a system that provides complete coverage.

Triangular vs. Rectangular Overlapping Sprinklers can be arranged in either a triangular or rectangular pattern:

·?????? Triangular Overlapping: This arrangement involves placing sprinklers in a triangular pattern, where the distance between each sprinkler is equal. It is often used for systems with centrally located sprinklers, providing more uniform coverage.

·?????? Rectangular Overlapping: In this setup, sprinklers are arranged in a grid-like pattern, both along rows and between rows. This results in rectangular-shaped wetted patterns and is straightforward to design. Rectangular overlapping is commonly used in many irrigation systems due to its simplicity.

Both methods aim to ensure that the spray patterns of neighboring sprinklers intersect, thereby eliminating gaps and achieving consistent water distribution.

Evaluating Uniformity Three formulas are used to measure the effectiveness of your irrigation system:

·?????? Christiansen's Uniformity Coefficient (CU): the maximum value for CU is 100%, and a good performance is considered around 90%. This measures the average water uniformity received throughout the given field.?

·?????? Distribution Uniformity (DU): DU analyses the driest 25% of the given field. The closer the DU result is to the CU result, the better.???

·?????? Scheduling Coefficient (SC): This measures the additional water needed to adequately irrigate a critical area. SC compares the average precipitation rate to the rate in the lowest precipitation zone. An SC of 1 indicates perfect uniformity, with values from 1 to 1.3 being acceptable.

Choosing the Right System

Selecting the appropriate sprinkler system depends on several factors:

1. Crop Type: Different crops have different water needs.

2. Crop Distribution: Understanding the canopy and layout is crucial.

3. Water Availability: Assess the flow and total water quantity.

4. Soil Type: Ensure the system is compatible with soil conditions.

5. Desired Temperature: Determine the temperature you need to protect your crops during critical periods.

For fruit tree plantations, under-canopy sprinklers offer effective irrigation while also serving as a frost protection and cooling system. Sprinklers like Rivulis’ AquaSmart 2002, Aquamaster 2005, and Rondo is suitable for this purpose. Full above-canopy coverage is another option, providing comprehensive frost protection with robust sprinklers placed strategically over the plantation.

Achieving uniform water distribution in sprinkler irrigation requires careful planning and design. By understanding the principles of overlap, evaluating uniformity with CU, DU, and SC tests, and the Rivulis Hydraulic Tool, you can ensure that your irrigation system provides consistent and effective water coverage. Whether you choose triangular or rectangular overlapping, or opt for advanced systems like Rivulis sprinklers, the goal remains the same: maximizing efficiency and protecting your crops from climate challenges.

Alvaro Rocca Baruch Barchad Adolfo Levin Matt Clift Moshe Viduta Juan Pe?a Sánchez Jesús J. Sánchez de la Nieta López Romeo Dragan Annelle Whyte