Environmental Sciences, asked by bhairabarana95, 7 months ago

4. Discuss the three methods of irrigation.
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Answers

Answered by attitudebabe
1

Explanation:

Irrigation is the process of applying water to soil, primarily to meet the water needs of growing plants. Water from rivers, reservoirs,

lakes, or aquifers is pumped or flows by gravity through pipes, canals, ditches or even natural streams. Applying water to fields

enhances the magnitude, quality and reliability of crop production. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the

United Nations, irrigation contributes to about 40% of the world’s food production on 20% of the world’s crop production land.

Various irrigation methods have been developed over time to meet the irrigation needs of certain crops in specific areas. The

three main methods of irrigation are surface, sprinkler and drip/micro. Water flows over the soil by gravity for surface irrigation.

Sprinkler irrigation applies water to soil by sprinkling or spraying water droplets from fixed or moving systems. Microirrigation

applies frequent, small applications by dripping, bubbling or spraying, and usually only wets a portion of the soil surface in the

field. A fourth, and minor, irrigation method is subirrigation where the water table is raised to or held near the plant root zone

using ditches or subsurface drains to supply the water.

According to the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, surface irrigation is used on about 85% of the 299 Mha

of irrigated crop land in the world. India and China each irrigate more than 60 Mha of crop land, accounting for almost half of the

irrigated land in the world (FAO, 2013). Approximately 95% of the irrigated land is surface irrigated in India and China. The United

States and Pakistan each have about 20 Mha of irrigated land. All other countries each have less than 10 Mha of irrigated land.

In the United States, sprinkler and microirrigation are used on a greater percentage of irrigated crop land compared to the other

three countries, and the percentages have steadily increased during the past 20 years. Sprinkler irrigation is used on 54% of the

22 Mha of crop land irrigated in the United States, while microirrigation is used on about 7% of the irrigated crop land

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