DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND INSTALLATION OF LOCALIZED DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM

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Zakari, M. D., Tadda, M. A., Maina, M. M., Abubakar, M. S., and Lawan, I. (2013). Design, Construction and Installation of Localized Drip Irrigation System. African Journal of Engineering Reseach and Development. Vol. 6, NO. 1. Devon Science Publication, Nsukka, Enugu State-Nigeria. Pp.39-47

DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND INSTALLATION OF LOCALIZED DRIP IRRIGATION

SYSTEM

ZAKARI, M.D.; TADDA, M.A.; MAINA, M.M.; ABUBAKAR, M.S. and LAWAN, I. Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Bayero University, Kano -

Nigeria Email: [email protected], Phone: 08034315364 / 08054515271

ABSTRACT

The need to irrigate farms/gardens by a method that will replace the unavailable, accessibility and cost of importing drip irrigation materials led to the design and construction of a localized drip irrigation system. In this study, a localized drip irrigation system was designed, constructed and installed. The system was designed to deliver water required by the crop intermittently (i.e. specific amount at a specific interval of time). The system was constructed exclusively from locally available materials. The emitter was punched using 1mm diameter needle on a 20m long lateral. It was designed for tomato crop (Lycopersicum esculentum spp) with irrigation interval of five days. The test of the system shows that the water application was adequate; the pump used for the operation of water lifting was 2" water pump. The result of system’s test revealed a nice outcome by wetting the area situated on the lateral at 60cm to one another at almost same application rate. Emitter blockage which is the common problem with drip system of irrigation was fairly controlled by an improvised secondary filter made from hand washing water base. The end of each lateral was pegged to avoid lateral overlapping one another and as well to keep the lateral firm to the ground. The drip system designed can irrigate 240m2 of an area with 660 tomato crop stands. The use of this system will surely help in alleviating poverty and easing labour task and drudgery in farming activities especially in rural communities.

SIGNIFICANCE: The importance of the design and installation is to equip the irrigation research field of the Bayero University, Kano

with irrigation field demonstration practice facilities that could be used over time by both students and staff for teaching and research.

KEYWORDS: Design, Construction, Installation, Drip, Irrigation and Localized.

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Irrigation is an artificial method of water application to soil to enhance the production of crops. Irrigation water is supplied to supplement the water available from rainfall, soil moisture and the capillary rise of ground water. In many areas of the world, the amount of rainfall is not adequate to meet the moisture requirements of crops. Hence, successful crop production often requires adequate provision for irrigation (Benami & Ofen, 1983; Jensen, 1980; Michael, 2005). According to Sharma & Sharma (2004), the role of irrigation systems can be categorized as direct and indirect benefits. The direct benefits includes; increase in crop production output through higher yield to attain self-sufficiency in food, cultivation of

cash crops, land value appreciates manifold which makes wealthy the land holders, domestic water supply to towns and villages (like in the cities of Delhi, Jaipur, Bikaner and Chandigarh depend on canal water for public water supply), hydro-power generation at dam site and canal falls. And the indirect benefits are; increase in gross domestic product of the country, increase in revenue from sales tax on food grains, increase in employment, retards migration to cities for livelihood, farm labourers get higher wages, creation of more jobs/incomes and rise to whole array of agro-based industries. In drip irrigation, also known as trickle irrigation, water is applied in the form of drops directly near the base of the plant.

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Water is conveyed through a system of flexible pipe lines, operating at low pressure, and is applied to the plants through drip nozzles. This technique is also known as ‘feeding bottle’ technique where by the soil is maintained in the most congential form by keeping the soil-water-air proportions in the optimum range. Trickle irrigation is a system for supplying filtered water and fertilizer directly on or into the soil and also water is allowed to dissipate under low pressure in an exact predetermined pattern. The outlet device which emits the water into the soil is known as an "emitter." Emitters dissipate the pressure in the pipe distribution networks by means of a narrow nozzle or long flow path, thereby decreasing the water pressure to allow discharge of only a few liters per hour (gallons per hour). After leaving the emitter water is distributed by its normal movement through the soil profile; therefore, the area which can be watered from each emission point is limited by the constraints of the water's horizontal flow. Drip irrigation limits the water supplied for consumptive use of the plant by maintaining minimum soil moisture, equal to the field capacity, thereby maximizing the saving. The system permits the fine control on the application of moisture and nutrients at stated frequencies (Punmia & Pande, 2005). In trickle irrigation the objective is to provide each plant with a continuous readily available supply of soil moisture which is sufficient to meet transpiration demands. Trickle irrigation offers unique agronomical, agrotechnical, and economical advantages for the efficient use of water. The main disadvantages of trickle irrigation systems are sensitivity to clogging, salinity build up, and poor soil moisture distribution. Drip irrigation system is a system that has been used for long in various parts of the world under different climatic conditions,

crop types as well as soil types. Also numerous papers and several regional, national and international conferences have been devoted to trickle irrigation and related crop performance (Jack & David, 1974). However, Bayero University irrigation research field does not have drip irrigation system for conducting field practical demonstration and research activities on soil/water Engineering. Irrigation system for field practical demonstration is one of the essential tools for teaching soil/water engineering course such as, in the areas of development, modification and validation of new/existing technology. Furthermore, with regards to the farmers, a lot of money is spent in importing drip irrigation systems from other countries, this has increased the cost of maintenance as well, high initial cost of installation, lack of technical knowledge as well as unavailability and inaccessibility of the system marketing places makes it difficult for both large and small scale farmers to carry out drip irrigation system techniques. As a result of these, there is a need to improvise a drip irrigation system with locally available materials, which will make it affordable especially to ordinary farmers and as well will solve the problem of idle sitting practiced by most of our local farmers during dry season. Therefore, it was in respect of the above aforementioned, a study to develop and improvise a drip irrigation system on the small-scale in the irrigation research field of Bayero University, Kano that will serve as additional component for adequate teaching of students as well as for carrying out research activities by both graduate students and members of staff. Consequently, the localized drip irrigation system designed, constructed and installed was reported in this study.

2.0 MATERIALS AND METHOD

2.1 The Study Area: The study was conducted on a selected area of 12m x 20m in the field practical farm of Bayero University, Kano (Plate 1). The study area is between the latitude of 11o3”N and 8o3”E in Kano State - Nigeria with approximate boundaries of the Gwarzo road to the south and the

Watari River to the west. The topography of the study area is flat with slightly undulating slope in the NW – SSE direction (Zainab, 2008).

2.2 Materials: The materials used for the construction work of the system comprises of; a

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2″- water pump, 2″-hose, 2000-litres GP tank, GP-tank stand made of clay bricks with first two-course made of 9″ sand bricks, 1″ PVC-pipe, ½″ coiled-PVC hose, ball gate of 1″ size, union connector, PVC-elbow, T-connector, PVC-½″ plugs, hacksaw, PVC-gum, 1mm diameter-needle, filter (from fine cloth material), hand washing water-base, mallet, measuring tape, pegs made of 5mm diameter metallic rods, wooden posts, ¾″ x ½″ PVC-bushing, 1″ x 1¼″ PVC-bushing, 1″ metallic-socket.

2.3 Field/Laboratory soil test: Soil samples were collected randomly at three (3) different depths 0 – 20cm, 20 – 40cm and 40 – 60cm in three (3) different places (upstream, midstream and downstream) making a total of nine (9) different samples. The soil samples were collected using soil auger, hoe, digger and conventional core sampler and placed into polythene bags and then were taken to the laboratory for determining particle size analysis (using hydrometer method), bulk density, porosity, permanent wilting point. The soil samples collected were allowed to dry for five (5) days under room conditions, then crushed and sieved through a 2 mm square grid. Finally put in containers and stored in a cool dry place for laboratory test. All the laboratory test adopted were similar to that reported by Zakari (2010). Soil analysis test which include determination of soil bulk density, porosity, moisture content and infiltration rate were carried out in Soil Science laboratory of Faculty of Agriculture, Bayero University, Kano.

2.3.1 Particle size analysis: Hydrometer method was adopted during soil particle size analysis. The following apparatus were used during the process; rubber mortar and pestle, glass rod, volumetric flask, beakers, stopwatch, 2 millimeter sieve and sodium hexameter phosphate (calgon) (Singh, 1989). The percentage of sand, silt and clay particles in the samples were determined from equations 1-4 below;

100% 1 Ws

CHRCSi (1)

2% 100CHRC

Ws (2)

% % %Si Si C C (3)

% 100 %S Si C (4)

where Si = silt, C = clay, S = sand, CHR1 = First Corrected Hydrometer Reading and CHR2 = Second Corrected Hydrometer Reading.

2.3.2 Soil bulk density: Soil bulk density is defined as the weight per unit volume of dry soil, which is commonly expressed as grams per cubic centimeter. Soil bulk density was determined with a cone sampler. Adequate care was taken while collecting the cores so as to preserve the natural structure of the soil. Michael (2005), stated that any change in the structure of soil is likely to change the amount of pore space and likewise the weight per unit volume. Therefore, soil bulk density was calculated according to Craig (1997) as in the equation 5 below;

sb

c

MPV

(5)

Where, ρb is the soil bulk density in g/cm3, Ms is the mass of oven dried soil, in g, and Vc is the volume of the core cutter in cm3.

2.3.3 Porosity: Porosity of soil sample is defined as the ratio of the volume of pores (voids) to the total soil volume. The porosity was determined with core sampler of known volume, the core was placed in a bowl of water for it to saturate and weighed in a moisture can. The saturated sample was then oven dried to a constant weight at 105oC for 24 hours. Porosity was estimated from the equation 6 below by Craig (1997);

100%sat d

c

M MV

(6)

Where η is the porosity in percentage, Msat is the mass of saturated soil, in g, Md is the mass of oven

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dried soil, in g, and Vc is the volume of the core cutter in cm3.

2.4 Drip system design: A drip irrigation system, to suit the condition of a particular site, is specially designed in order to achieve high efficiencies in its performance and economy. Jack & David (1974), step by step of drip irrigation system design procedures were adopted in this study. The following processes were considered before designing the drip system;

i. The area to be irrigated was measured accurately and then sketched out.

ii. The system components was put into consideration that will “eat up” water pressure as the water moves to the drip

iii. The drip system was drawn on paper (Figure 1).

iv. The drip system was divided up into zones and lay out the laterals. A right decision was made to create a drip system that uses less water than most and gives healthier plants. Bad drip system design is a major cause of turf disease and wasted water.

v. Finally, the size of each pipe and laterals was determined and cleans up a few small details.

0.6m

0.6m

20m

Lateral End plug

Mains

Sub-mains

Pressureregulator

Valves

Tank

ValvesFilter

Elbow joint

Tee joint

Union connector

0.6m

Emitter

Figure 1: Drip irrigation system layout

2.4.1 Irrigation Depth and Interval: Since only part of the soil volume is wetted, the determination of the amount (depth or volume) of application per trickle irrigation cycle and irrigation interval, are unique (Jack & David, 1974). 2.4.1.1 Depth

Expressing the maximum application amount as a volume to apply per unit of total land area

which is equivalent to the average depth of application gives;

Idx = Y . (FC – WP) . Z. P/10 (7) In which; Idx is the maximum net depth of each irrigation application over the whole area, mm (in.)

Y is the portion of available moisture depletion allowed or desired

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FC is the volumetric moisture at field capacity, mm/m (in./ft)

WP is the volumetric moisture at wilting point, mm/m (in./ft)

Z is the soil depth to be considered, m (ft).

P is the area wetted as a percent of the total irrigated area, percent.

The volume of water applied per irrigation cycle, V1, can be determined by multiplying the total area to be irrigated by the depth per irrigation (Jack & David, 1974).

2.4.1.2 Interval

The irrigation interval depends on the rate at which water is consumed by the plants and the depth of irrigation applied by each cycle. In addition, the emission uniformity and a minimum 10 percent excess water for leaching. Un-avoidable deep percolation and evaporation should be taken into account, thus:

If = = 0.9 . . (8)

In which; If is the irrigation interval, days

Idn is the net depth of each irrigation application over the whole area, mm (in.)

T is the average transpiration rate of the plant based on the whole area, mm/day (in./day)

EU is the emission uniformity, percentage

Id is the gross (or average) depth of irrigation over the whole area, mm (in.) (Jack & David, 1974).

2.5 Population of the crop per hectare Since the spacing between the tomato stand was found to be 60x60cm, therefore,

60x60= 3600cm2 x (10-2)2 = 0.36m2. But 1ha is equivalent to 10,000m2

10,000/0.36 = 27,778 tomato stands per hectare.

2.6 Population of tomato per selected area

The length of the lateral under consideration was 20m, therefore total number of tomato per

lateral will be; x10-2 = 33.333 tomatoes

stand. So, approximately 33 stands of tomato which will be equal to the number of emitters per lateral. For designed number of laterals were 20 laterals. Therefore, the total population of tomato under these specifications will now be; 33 x 20 = 660 stands of tomato.

For the value of P A = πr2 (area covered by a single crop) (9)

Therefore, A = 3.142 x ( )2 = 2.8 x 103cm2 =

0.28m2

Therefore, total area covered by the crop will now be;

AT = Area covered by a single crop x Total number of crop stands = 0.28 X 660 = 184.8m2

But the total area of the field was found to be 240m2 (i.e. 12m X 20m).

So, the uncovered area = 240 – 184.8 = 55.2cm2

Now, = 2.4; Therefore, P =

= 77% is now the total area shaded by the crops.

2.7 Basic Hydraulics of Drip Irrigation System

Williams and Hazen equation is used to estimate the head loss in a drip irrigation line;

∆H = 15.27

(10)

Where, ∆H =Energy drop by friction, m, Q =Total Discharge in the pipe, lit/sec,

D =Inside diameter of pipe, cm, L = Length of the pipe section, m (Egharevba, 2009)

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The Williams and Hazen equation is usually used to determined the energy drop for a main line section. Since the discharge in the line decreases with respect to the length, the total energy drop will be less than the one given by Williams and Hazen equation. The total energy drop, H, for lateral or sub-main can be determined by introducing an F-value as a reduction coefficient or determined by the integration. The total energy drop by friction for lateral or sub-main can be expressed as follows:

∆H = 5.35

(11)

Where, ∆H = total energy drop by the friction at the end of the lateral (or sub-main), m

Q = total discharge at the inlet of the lateral (or sub-main), lit/sec

D = inside diameter of the lateral (or sub-main), m L = the total length lateral (or sub-main), m (Micheal & Ojha, 2009) 2.9 Power requirements for pumping water

The power used in pumping water into the GP water tank is 2" water pump from a wash-bore water source and water is supply to the system through gravity.

3.0 CONSTRUCTION AND INSTALLATION OF LOCALIZED DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM

A GP-stand of 1.2m high and of equal length and breadth (1.25m) was made from a sand and cement brick for the first two courses followed by 3 clay bricks course (Plate 2). A filter was made using hand wash-base outlet, sponge was used to serve as the filter element (Plate 3). A ball gate was then fixed after the filter. A multipurpose pressure regulator (to measure both pressure and volume of water passing through it) was installed next to the ball gate (Plate 4). A 1″ pipe was cut to size equal to that of a row to row which 60cm was taken as the recommended size for most of the crops (Punmia & Pande, 2005), 19-pieces were used and connected to each using a T-connector to serve as the sub-main line. A hacksaw was used for cutting the PVC pipes. A 20m length of a coiled PVC-hose was cut (length of the lateral). 20 numbers of laterals were cut out of the total 400m length (each 100m). Plugs were made using a ½″ PVC pipe

cut into pieces and burning one end with heat to make it blocked to block the end openings of the ½″ coiled PVC-hose. PVC-gum was used for permanent connections between the pipes. A 3″ needle having 1mm diameter was used to make perforations on the trickle line made from ½″ PVC-hose to serve as the emitter openings (Plate 5 & 6). Mallet was used to ensure tight connections. Measuring tape was used for both measurement of the field size, respective positions of materials as well as while cutting the PVC-pipes to the required dimensions. PVC-bushing of ¾″ x ½″ was used to make connection from a 1″ to ½″ size PVC-pipe using a T-connector. Small diameter metallic rods were used to make pegs in order to hook the PVC-pipe to the ground and keep them in a stable position (Plate 7). A 2″ water pump was then used to supply water to the overhead tank.

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Plate 1: Field Practical Demonstration Farm Plate 2: The overhead tank on its stand

Plate 3: The low cost secondary filter Plate 4: The ball gate and the pressure gauge

Plate 5: Shows how positions of emitters are marked Plate 2: Shows how the emitters are punched

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Plate 7:The termination and pegging of lateral end

4.0 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

Table 1 presents the result of the mean values for the field and laboratory tests on soil properties.

Table 1- Mean values of field/laboratory test of Soil Properties

S/N Test Mean Value 1 Soil classification Sandy loam 2 Soil bulk density 1.7 g/cm3 3 Porosity 46.1% 4 Moisture content 7.6% 5 Infiltration rate 53.6 mm/hr

Result of the soil bulk density was found to be 1.7 g/cm3 which shows that the unit weight per volume of the dry soil was 1.7 and the porosity which equals to 46.1% implies that 46.1% of total volume of applied water will pass through

the soil. The average infiltration rate was 53.6 mm/hr which indicates that water will infiltrate into the soil to the depth of 53.6 mm in an hour.

Table 2 - Calculated Drip system design parameters

S/N Parameters Value 1 Permanent Wilting Point 9% 2 Water Holding Capacity 148.64 mm 3 Net Irrigation Requirement 36.58 mm 4 Gross Irrigation Requirement 56.28 mm 5 Irrigation frequency 5 days 6 Depth of application 43.89 mm 7 Time required per irrigation 1.05 hrs

Table 2 presents the calculated design parameters, the results show that the irrigation interval was 5 days when 43.89 mm depth of water was applied for 1.05 hr/per irrigation. The permanent wilting point which was 9% means that the crop (tomatoes) cannot survive

and will die off when the moisture content is depleted to this level. Table 3 shows the summary of potential evapo-transpiration and consumption use calculated for the growing period of tomatoes, which was used to determine the irrigation interval. Also the

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values of the total and mean consumption use obtained were 48.2 and 8.03mm/day respectively. Table 4 shows the consumption use, maximum allowable deficit (MAD), depth

of application, net irrigation requirement, gross irrigation requirement, irrigation frequency and time required per irrigation for tomatoes crop which was considered for the design.

Table 3 – Evapo-transpiration and consumption use of tomatoes

Month Etp(mm) Cu (mm/day) Days November 7.06 7.41 30 December 7.66 8.04 31 January 6.97 7.82 31 February 8.39 8.72 31 March 7.77 8.72 28 April 8.14 8.55 30 Total 48.2 181 Mean 8.03

Table 4 – Average consumption use, MAD, Depth, NIR, GIR, Irrigation frequency and time required per irrigation for tomato crop.

Crop Cu average (mm/day)

MAD %

D (mm)

NIR(mm) GIR(mm) If (day)

TR(hrs)

Tomatoes 8.03 0.50 43.89 36.58 56.28 5 1.05

4.1 Installation test of the localized drip irrigation system: The testing of the localized drip irrigation system started by supplying water into the overhead tank from a nearby wash bore using a 2" water pump (Plate 8). The water starts flowing out of the tank by gravity passing through a filter as the first chamber, then to the gate valve. The valve is then opened to allow the passage of the water through multipurpose pressure gauge (i.e. the gauge is capable of measuring both the volume

and pressure of water passing down to the mains). Two valves controlling ten laterals each were then opened to allow the water into the sub-mains then to the laterals. The emitters located at 0.6m from one another started discharging at a uniform rate. Plate 9 shows the wetted areas directly under the emitters. The Localized drip irrigation system layout was showed in Plate 10. Also, Plate 11 presents the side view of the drip system layout.

Plate 8: The supply of water to the overhead tank Plate 9: The wetted area near the emitters

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Plate10: The drip system layout Plate 11: The side view of the drip system layout

5.0 CONCLUSION AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Conclusion: The design, constructing and installation of localized drip irrigation system were carried out to add a field practical demonstration facility to the Department of Agricultural Engineering, Bayero University, Kano for teaching and research purpose also to address the challenges being faced by the farmers both at higher and local levels particularly the problem of high cost in importing the drip irrigation systems components. The study was designed for tomatoes crop (Lycopersicum esculentum spp). The system design has Net irrigation requirement of 36.58mm, Gross irrigation requirement of 56.28mm, irrigation interval of 5 days and time required per irrigation is 1.05hrs for tomatoes crop.

5.2 Recommendations: Based on the design, construction and installation of localized drip irrigation system, the following recommendations were suggested;

A study on the re-evaluation of the system performance parameters should be carried out in order to compare the performance of the system with other types of irrigation method.

Other crops such as onion, sweet corn should be used to test the performance of the system

Benefit cost ratio analysis should be carried out in order to determine the financial viability of the system.

REFERENCE Benami, A., & Ofen, A. (1983). Irrigation

engineering. Sprinkler, trickle, surface irrigation principles and agricultural practices: Irrigation Engineering Scientific Publications.

Craig, R. F. (Ed.). (1997). Soil Mechanics (Fifth Edition ed.). London: Capman and Hall London.

Egharevba, N. A. (Ed.). (2009). Irrigation and Drainage Engineering: Principles, Design and Practices. Nigeria: Jos University Press.

Jack, K., & David, K. (1974). Trickle Irrigation Design Parameters. Transaction of the ASAE, 17(4), 678-684.

Jensen, M. E. (1980). Design and operation of farm irrigation systems.

Michael, A. M. (Ed.). (2005). Principle of Agricultural Engineering. New Delhi: Vilas publishing House PVT Limited.

Micheal, A. M., & Ojha, T. P. (Eds.). (2009). Principles of Agricultural Engineering (Vol. II). New Delhi: Jain Brother Publishers.

Punmia, B. C., & Pande, B. B. (Eds.). (2005). Irrigation and Water Power Engineering. New Delhi, India: Laxmi Publications (P) Ltd, 22 Golden House, Daryaganj.

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Sharma, R. K., & Sharma, T. K. (Eds.). (2004). Irrigation Engineering: S. Chand & Company Ltd.

Singh, R. A. (Ed.). (1989). Soil Physical Analysis. New Delhi, India: Kalyani Publishers.

Zainab, I. (2008). Analysis of Environmental Factors for Establishment of Field Irrigation Laboratory in Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria. Bayero University, Kano.

Zakari, M. D. (2010). Design, Construction and Installation of Sprinkler Irrigation System. Unpublished Under Graduate Project. Bayero University, Kano.

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DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND INSTALLATION OF LOCALIZED DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM

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