Performance optimisation of a furrow irrigation system :

Abstract

Surface irrigation systems are the commonly used irrigation systems in most areas due to their energy saving nature and easy management. Inadequate management and design however Show low performance. To increase the sustainability of irrigated agriculture, an important aspect that has been considered in several studies is to design an efficient irrigation system at the farm level, will contribute to the enhancement of' water use efficiency, the sustainability of water resource utilization, the increase of agricultural production and farm income and, hence, the empowerment of rural community. In this case, furrow irrigation is the widely used surface irrigation method. In furrow irrigation, the goal of optimisation is to achieve the required irrigation conditions. This research study focussed on optimisation of the performance of furrow irrigation system (Aloet demonstration site-Bukedea). The slope of the study area was determined using ArcGIS version 10.1 and the soil, type of the demonstration site determined. The parameters that affect the furrow irrigation system were analysed and they included; the inflow rate, inflow length cut off time and the infiltration characteristics and also the design parameters such as wetted perimeter, cross sectional area, slope flow rate, furrow width. The furrow irrigation system of Aloet demonstration site was optimised and a physical design that can give a better performance was simulated using WinsRFR 3.1 software. The Aloet demonstration site was found to have a slope of 0.00027 to 0.00031 and an infiltration rate of 27mm/hr, indicating a sandy loam type of soil. The performance efficiency for the current furrow system was found to be 38.3% and the simulated physical design of the furrow system gave a performance efficiency 87.7%