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Drip Irrigation for Coconut

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Drip Irrigation for Coconut PAMPHLET No. 31 Drip Irrigation for Coconut CENTRAL PLANTATION CROPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE KASARAGOD-670 124, KERALA. INDIA Published by M. K. Nair Director CPCRI Kasaragod-670 124, India fron­ tion till ~ obs( ye<lr Text prepared by ,M . Yusuf R. Dhanapal the i th(m lrr!g; to t: W d t , Edited by 35tO M. K. Muliyar late~ to tl K. K. N . Nambiar Llncl evar of v Publication of Extension Division, CPCRI, Kasaragod-670 124 wid, June 1987 inst. syst qua low Printed at Sharada Press Yen ' Mangalore witt has Drip I rrigation for Coconut Major area under coconut is in humid tr~pics where the annual rainfall ranges from 2000 mm to 3500 mm which is about 'tWO times higher than the annud evapora­ tion (1500 to 1750 mm). Yet the crop expsi'iences moisture stress from November till May which are rainless months in many coconut growing areas. COCO;'lut ha~~ been observed to respond well to irr;gation, the increase in yield being over 30 l1Uts/pnlm/ year . Tradi',io:lally, coconut gardens are flood -or basin-irrigated. In such cases the irrigation efficiency is only 30 to 60 per cen! due to the wastage OfWdter. Besides, there is wastage of labour and energy in Cldop:iiig these systems. Scarcity of irr igation water and increasing cost of labcur and energy are posing sericus threat to the economic viability of COGO ,"lt production. It;s tll(~ref m e imperative that tho wilter lise efficiency is increased. Concerted efforts to use water efficiently in agriculture have resulted in astounding advancement in irrigation technc!o~iY and drip irrigation is one of the latest innovations in this direction. In this sys',ern, application of low volume of water to tha plant root zone through nozzles, micro-tubes, drippers etG ., is done either under or above the soi'l surface. Advantages of drip irrigation: Water saving: Due to p:ntial wetting of {he soil volume, reduced surface evaporation, decreased run-off and controlled deep percolation losses, there is saving of water upto 60 per ce nt. Enhanced plant growth and yield: Siow and frequent watering eliminates wide fluctuations in moisture content resulting in better growth and yieid. Saving in labour and energy: If the system is well designed, properly installed and water supply is clean, labour is required only for switching on or off the system. Because of high irrigation efficiency, less time is required to supply required quantity of water, thus saving in energy. The operating pressure is also comparatively lower than other systems. Most suited to poor soils: Very light soils are difficult to irrigate by con­ ventional methods due to deep percolCttion of water. Similarly, very heavy soils with low infiltration rates are difficult to irrigate by sprinkler method. Drip irrigation has been succeisful in both the soils. S arse weed growth : Due to partial wetting of soil volume weed infesta­ tion is very less in comparison to other methods of irrigJtion. Imp oved cultural practices: Because the soil sU lface remains diY, there is access to the field at all the times for cultural op:.>rat:ons such as spraying, weeding and harvesting. Possibility of using saline water: Due to fi-equer;t w;,tering, the soil moisture aiways remains very high. Thus the salt concentration remains bGlow harmful levels. Improved effic iency of fertilizers: Because of reduced los3 ofh}rtilizel:i through leaching and runoff water and also because f<:rtilizer is applied in !ocalized zones, there is high efficiency of appliedferi ilizers. Despite it~, severa l advantages, the high initial investment and maintenance requirement of commercially available drip units ara the majm constraints in its adop­ tion by t he small farmers . A simpl and ralativtJly less expensive drip irrigation system ilas been developed by Central Plantation Crops ReSearch Ipstitu!e, Ka sal Bgoci. This is suited to various topograph!c conditions and hc!dirig sizes. The 3ystem works with low pressure of 1-3 m w ater height. The details of the system are dascribed in this pamphlet. Components of the system: 1. Water storage tank 2. Main and sub-main lines 3. Lateral. 4. Drippers 5. Micro-tubes 6 . Simple filter 7. Fitting accessories 1. Water storage tank: It can be a 200 l!tl"O capacity diesel barrel properiy painted or masonry tank of larger capacity. In homestead gardens, the system can be integrated with existing over-head tanks [Fig. 1 (b)]. Small gardens (upto 35 palms) are easily irrigated by placing il 200 litre diesel barrel on an earthern platform about 1.5 m height near the well. Water is drawn manually and stored in the barrel. The barrel is connected with the main and laterals [Fig . 1 (a) J. This is most suited where the practice of irrigation is through water carried as head-load. Main pipe is attached to srorage tank. At the entrance of the main pipe a simple hand fabricated filtEr (Fig. 2) is provided. 2. Mains and sub-mains: The system consists of supply main, field main and sub-mains. The supply main runs from storage tank to the field to be irrigated. The diameter of the main depends upon the length of the main and size of the garden . 2 ta- ere <{4! u () 19, ...., t::l:' ~ +---/ ;oil ~ Iful ~ -. ~ II I l I U,#-' ,'- ~//!~ ers ~~ :ed .~'~ ICe ~ '" IP­ ~~~ ~: rn ')Q. "'-.~ ~, ~;.­ rk s ~ If1 ~ ~~ ~ Fig . 1 (a) A modol layout plan of drip irrigation for co conut piantation (0'2 ha) rA",k' Int, t & 65 00 111' ! DUll" 110rr 4 · -~ o :1rn , r6 mrr, or • C;) J !riy LODf ~.-: t C~f'~Q.1 ~ e be gOm 35 I ,rm ~\'lLn Lat . 'oi . • • , I • ;, ; I ,])~ rei. :-.J~A ~ ~ 'f Ji ~ : ~~ ~'1 ~:;'" '~ ';" ~ ""::;: ,;:> ·'~1j,·-). ~'"" (: ._:,;~ 'mm Plasticmocro tub< !6mrn ,"/ )1( .. ~ ~ J: r; ~ x ~ it. ere start . conne cter .: . ~~ Emitter • ~ Condlit piP" ~ pie IJlIIifI Pit • ain ~ r ad. en. Fi!:l. (b) A model layout plan of drip irrigation for coconut plantation (Area 1 ha) F< PV C tube Holes fil 9' j ~IO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 pi I 000000000 m 0 0 0 0 0 o coo Ir (Q) tJ t~ T 81 c; Copper wire mesh 5 1 8[ E IT ( b) tl d a Filter p rr V-, o ( C ) Fig. 2 Simple filter - s "::f/ .,". '~ {-':'i-;~:::: (~)-' t i ~. Tap type dripper a n s Micro - tube (4 mm) Fig. 3 Emitters For small gardens (upto 35 palms), 16 mm lD, LDPE can be used for supply as well as field mains. HDPE or PVC pipe of 38,50,75 and 100 mm ID are used for 1,2,3 and 4 ha gardens respectively. Field mains are laid along or across the length for uniform pressure. These are also HDPE or PVC pipes having lesser diameter than supply main. Only in gardens where water source is at somt;) distance, supply main is required. In large gardens sub-mains are needed. In such case if field main is of 50 mm I D then sub-main of 38 mm is used. A gate valve is provided in the main pipe to regulate the water flow. 3. Laterals: LD PE pipes of 12 or 10 111m I D are used 1-01' I "terals. 1"l1e laterals run along the rows. The sizes of main, sub-main Dnd laterals are so select­ ed that gives almost un:form ciischarge at each dripper. Maximum ler,gth of laterals can be upto 50 m for uniform water application. The laterals are connected with the sub-main through a joint. The ends are closed by plugs or simpiy by bending the end and tieing with thread. 4. Drippers: Small water-tap-type emitters are used in this system (Fig. 3). Emitters are connected to the laterals with the help of small pieces of bl8ck polythene micro-tl.jbing (4 mm I D). Ihe laterals are carefully punched so that when micro­ tube piece is inserted, there is no leakage. The advantage of tap type dripper is that discharge rate can be adjusted varying from 1 to 12 lit/hr. Thus suited to light as well as heavy soils. Also the problem of decrease in discharge rate due to decrease in pressure is solved by regulating the rate of discharge. Thus same discharge r2.te is maintained at all the dripping points. Such drippers are most suited to gardens with uneven topography for maintaining uniform application of water. Cleaning of emitters if needed, is also very easy. 5. Micro-tubes: Pieces of black polythene thin tubings (4 mm ID) are used to connect drippers with the !aterals. One end of the micro-tube is attached to lateral and other to dripper. The length of micro-tube varies according to the distance of dripping point from the lateral. 6. Simple filter: A simple filter is fabricated by making perforations in a small piece of PVC pipe of desired diameter. A stainless steel/copper wire mesh (200-300 mesh size) or synthetic cloth is wrapped over the perforat8d pipe and tied. This is connected to the main line at the entrance in the storage tank. 7. Fitting accessories: Some accessories aie needed for assembling the whole unit. These are: gate valve, hose collar, start connectors, reducers and plugs for main, sub-main, laterals etc. Layout of drip system: Depending upon the situation, main pipe is laid out along or perpendicular to length of the garden. Sub-main runs perpendicular to the main and laterals are laid perpendicular to the sub-mein along ihe rows.
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