Different Types Of Sprinkler Irrigation

Several different spray irrigation systems are commonly employed for farm irrigation methods.

Fremont, CA: Sprinkler irrigation is any irrigation that utilizes a pressurized system to apply water in a way that imitates rainfall to the soil surface. Water is supplied to a farmer's fields using a network of pipes or hoses, and the water is generally pressurized through a pumping system.

Types of Sprinkler Irrigation Systems

Several different spray irrigation systems are commonly employed for farm irrigation methods.

Cable Tow System

A cable-tow system is a travelling gun irrigation system. It comprises a large sprinkler head linked to a flexible hose directly to the water source. The sprinkler is established on a wheeled cart and is propelled over the field by a cable that winds itself around a drum fitted on the cart.

Cable tow systems are beneficial for many crops but need a cleared lane to travel down and a fixed object at the end of the field, such as a tractor, as an anchor.

Hose-Pull Traveler System

A hose-pull traveller is similar to the cable tow but does not require a cable or a stationary object as an anchor. Instead, a hose-pull traveller irrigation system uses a wheeled cart with a gun-type sprinkler and a semi-rigid polyethene hose that winds up on a large reel fitted on a second wheeled cart.

The sprinkler cart is propelled over the field as the hose winds onto the mounted reel.

Solid Set Irrigation

Solid set irrigation systems are composed of evenly-spaced sprinkler heads mounted on risers along a length of pipe. They generally use impact sprinkler heads, although different types of sprinkler heads may be installed contingent on the crop requirement. The line is above ground and is mobile. These systems are generally used on smaller farms or high-value crops such as vegetables. Spacing and spray patterns are simply adjusted by switching out various spray heads or changing the distance between risers.

Permanent Set Irrigation

Permanent set irrigation systems are the same as solid set irrigation systems, except that the pipe (customarily PVC plastic) is buried underground. These systems are low-cost to use once set up and can be automated but are the most expensive to install. Therefore, they are most generally used in long-term perennial plantings, like orchard trees or berries.

Micro-Sprinkler Systems

Micro-sprinkler systems are low-pressure kinds of spray irrigation. Yet, they are typically classified together with drip irrigation since the system for delivery is the same. Micro-sprinklers are small, low-pressure sprinklers embedded into a small, normal ½-inch diameter mainline tube.

While sprinkler heads can be switched to fit droplet size and spray, impact sprinklers aren't used in micro-sprinkler systems since the system doesn't deliver enough water pressure to pressurize an impact sprinkler.

Center Pivot Irrigation

Center pivot irrigation systems are the most commonly used, especially in the US. They propel themselves around a middle pivot point, creating the circular green fields standard across the Midwest.

Center pivot systems are large, ready to irrigate 125 to 130 acres. They are included in a lateral, stainless steel pipe mounted across mobile truss structures. Sprinkler heads are mounted along the line length, either directly from the overhead pipe or hanging down from lateral pipes. Center pivot systems are best utilized in circular fields as areas outside the circular pattern will not be irrigated.

Linear Move Irrigation

A linear move irrigation system is likely to be a centre pivot system, but other than pivoting about a central point; it moves laterally over a field. They work in a square or rectangular-formed field.