Irrigation watering system

When you hear “irrigation irrigation system,” the first thing that comes to mind is perfectly smooth streams of water over hectares of fields. But in reality everything is more complicated. Many people still confuse simple sprinkling with a full-fledged system that takes into account soil type, seasonal fluctuations and even night temperature. This is where we start.

Basic misconceptions when designing

I remember how in 2019 a system for alfalfa was installed near Samara. The customer demanded 'the most modern', but refused a soil analysis. A month later he complained about puddles in the lowlands and dry spots on the slopes. It turned out that the clay layer at a depth of 40 cm created high water, which no one thought about.

A common mistake is saving on filters. I once saw a system with German controllers, but with cheap mesh filters. After a rainstorm, sand clogged the emitters within 24 hours. We had to redo it with gravel and sand cleaning, which was more expensive than the original version.

Another point: many calculate watering only according to the norms, forgetting about evaporation. In the Volgograd region in summer, the difference between the calculated and actual flow rates reaches 23% due to dry winds. We have to install additional weather stations, although initially they were considered a luxury.

Technical nuances that are not written in the instructions

Remote control valves are a different story. Chinese samples often cannot withstand our pressure drops. After three unsuccessful experiments, they began to buy equipment through Shandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology LLC - they just have adapted solutions for the harsh continental climate.

An interesting case was in Tatarstan with a drip irrigation system for tomatoes. The manufacturer promised 95% uniformity of supply, but in the second month interruptions began. It turned out that during installation they did not take into account height differences of only 1.5 meters - this is critical for IVs. I had to recalculate all the hydraulics and install pressure reducing valves.

Not everything is simple with automation either. Frequency converters must take into account not only pressure, but also water temperature. One winter, fifty pipes burst in a greenhouse - the controller did not have time to react to freezing in the nodes. We now always recommend redundant sensors.

Real cases from practice

Last year we made a project for an intellectual agricultural park near Voronezh. The developments were just used thereShandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,Ltd- system for integrating water and fertilizers with weather stations. It turned out interesting: initially they saved on soil moisture sensors, but then added them during operation - water savings increased by 31%.

And here is an unsuccessful example with an apple orchard in the Krasnodar region. They installed a standard irrigation watering system without taking into account varietal characteristics. Late varieties began to crack from excess moisture in August. We had to redesign the watering zones for each variety separately.

I also remember the incident with filtration in potato fields. The water was taken from the pond, seemingly clean. But after the rains, organic matter came in and clogged the drip lines. A two-stage system saved us: first gravel filters, then disk filters. Now we always recommend this option for open sources.

Features for different cultures

Grains are a completely different story. Many people think that sprinkling is easy. But for winter wheat, the time of watering is critical: if in the evening, there is a risk of fungal diseases, if during the day, up to 40% of the water evaporates. You have to calculate intervals to the nearest hour.

Vegetables in greenhouses have their own subtleties. In the same irrigation irrigation system for greenhouses, it is important not just to supply water, but to maintain precise humidity in the root zone. I saw how tomatoes on one farm began to shed their ovaries - it turned out that the sensors were too deep and did not detect the drying out of the top layer.

The most difficult thing is with perennial plantings. In a vineyard near Krymsk, they experimented with irrigation regimes for five years. We found out that drip irrigation gives the best result, but only when applied in small portions 6-8 times a day. In this case, the emitters must be compensated - conventional ones do not provide uniformity on slopes.

Prospects and new solutions

Nowadays they talk a lot aboutintelligent systems, but in practice it is still difficult. The same projects of high-quality agricultural fields require not just automation, but an integrated approach. For example, Shandong Linyao LLC offers interesting solutions for integration with weather forecasts - the system itself adjusts watering a day before expected precipitation.

I noticed a trend: they began to combine different types of irrigation more often. In one field there is drip irrigation for row spacing, and sprinkling is used to create a microclimate. This is especially true for regions with dry winds.

Among the new products, I am looking at systems with remote control of valves via cellular networks. Last month we tested it on an area of ​​50 hectares - the time saved on rounds was about 15 hours a week. True, we had to strengthen our communication coverage, but it paid off within a season.

Organizational aspects

Often problems arise not with technology, but with people. Once on one farm the system worked perfectly, but the yield did not increase. It turned out that operators manually closed the valves 'to save money'. We had to implement an access control system and keep records of all interventions.

An important point is documentation. After several cases when, during the expansion of the farm, we could not find communication diagrams, we now always require the transfer of not only drawings, but also GPS coordinates of all nodes. This is especially true for large hydraulic engineering projects.

Personnel training is a separate issue. Even the most advanced irrigation system will not work without competent operators. Now we usually include in the contract at least 40 hours of training with real scenarios - from simple malfunctions to emergency situations.

In general, if I sum it up... No, I won’t sum it up. In this case they are always temporary. Each season brings new challenges - either the soil changes its structure after many years of irrigation, or crops react to climate change. The main thing is not to get hung up on templates and constantly check with practice. As they say, the best system is the one you constantly improve.