Author(s): V. Subkova; S. Popov
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Drip Irrigation
Abstract: In Bulgaria the drip irrigation systems have been used more than 25 years for intensive orchards, vegetables, strawberries and flowers, growing in open fields and greenhouses. Because of the high cost of the installation they take place about 2% of the total irrigated area. In this report the new drip irrigation technology is presented, in which the system's discharge is reduced and the total investment cost is reduced to 50% respectively. The technology was realized by low discharge drippers, using the full retention capacity of the active root zone, so the maximum application time was increased up to 24 hours every day during the irrigation season. Because of the low application rate both the soil moisture volume and the distances between drippers were increased, so the total system discharge and diameters of the submains and main were reduced. The Research Institute for Land Reclamation and Agricultural Mechanization-Sofia produces double wall dripping pipe, licensed by German company "Drossbach" type "Agro drip" with nominal discharge qn = 2.5 l/hr and length of spiral path 30cm. The same equipment is able to produce new variants of dripping pipe with spiral path 60 or 90cm, so the nominal discharge was reduced to 1.10 or 0.80 l/hr and the new drip irrigation system was realized.
Year: 2003