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• Just as every water is not suitable for human being, in the same manner
every water is not suitable for plant growth
• Water containing impurities which are injurious to the plant growth may
not be satisfactory for irrigation purpose
• Bacterial contamination
Quality of Irrigation water
• The effect of salt on the plant growth depends largely upon the total
amount of salt present in the soil concentration
𝐶.𝑄
• 𝐶𝑆 =
𝑄− 𝐶𝑢−𝑅𝑒)
Quality of Irrigation water
• The salinity concentration of the soil (CS) after consumptive use (Cu) has been
extracted from the soil is given by
𝐶.𝑄
• 𝐶𝑆 =
𝑄− 𝐶𝑢−𝑅𝑒)
• Cu = Consumptive use of the water, i.e total amount of water used by plants for
its growth
• Amount in excess of 700 ppm are harmful to some plants and more than
2000 ppm are injurious to all crops
2 Medium salinity water (C2) . Normal salt tolerant plants can be grown
Conductivity between 250 to 750 without much salinity control
micro mhos/cm at 25 deg
3 High salinity water (C3) . Conductivity Special precautions and measures are under
between 750 to 2250 micro mhos/cm at taken for salinity control and only high-salt
25 deg tolerant plants can be grown
4 Very high salinity water (C4) . Generally not suitable for irrigation
Conductivity more than 2250 micro
mhos/cm at 25 deg
Quality of Irrigation water
• Proportion of sodium ions to other cations: Most of soils contain calcium and
magnesium ions and small quantities of sodium ions. The percentage of the sodium
ions is generally less than 5% of the total exchangeable cations.
• If this percentage increases to about 10% or more, the aggregation of soil grains
breakdown, the soil become less permeable and poor tilth
• The proportion of sodium ions present in soil, generally measured in factor called
Sodium-Absorption Ration (SAR) and represented the sodium hazards of water
𝑁𝑎+
• SAR =
𝐶𝑎++ + 𝑀𝑔++
2
• Where the concentration of the ions is expressed in equivalent per millions (epm)
Quality of Irrigation water
• The proportion of sodium ions present in soil, generally measured in factor called
Sodium-Absorption Ration (SAR) and representated the sodium hazards of water
𝑁𝑎+
• SAR =
𝐶𝑎++ + 𝑀𝑔++
2
• Where the concentration of the ions is expressed in equivalent per millions (epm)
𝑚𝑔
𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑙 𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑝𝑚
• epm =
𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 (𝐴𝑡𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑐 𝑤𝑡+𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒)
Quality of Irrigation water
1 Low sodium water (S1). SAR lies Use for almost all crops and for all kinds
between 0 to 10 of soils
3 High sodium water (S3). SAR lies Harmful on almost all the soils, require
between 18 to 26 good drainage, gypsum addition for
proper irrigation
4 Very high sodium water (S4). SAR Generally not suitable for irrigation
greater than 26
Quality of Irrigation water
• Traces of Boron are essential to plant growth, but concentration above 0.3 ppm
• The concentration above 0.5 ppm may be dangerous to nuts, citrus fruits
• ∆ = 20+15+10+15+20 = 80 cm = 0.8 m
• Total depth of water supplied to crop during the base period represents
water requirement of the crop for its full growth
• Ex: if wheat requires about 75 cm of water after every 28 days and base period
for wheat is 140 days, find out the value of delta for wheat
Definitions
• Frequency of irrigation or rotation period : the time interval between two
consecutive watering is called frequency of irrigation
• Duty (D) = it is the total area irrigated by a unit discharge running continuously
during the entire base period
• Units = area/cumec
• D gives the relationship between volume of water and area of the crop
which it mature
• Ex: if 10 cumes of water require to a crop in an area of 10,000 ha, then duty D
of the crop is ?
Relationship between duty and delta
𝟖.𝟔𝟒 ∗𝑩 𝟖𝟔𝟒 ∗𝑩
• ∆= metres or centimeters
𝑫 𝑫
• Ex 1: Find the delta for a crop when its duty is 864 hectares/cumec on the field,
the base period of crop is 120 days
∆ = 1.2 m /120 cm
• Ex : (a) Find the delta of a crop if the duty is 188 ha/cumec and base period is
130 days. (b) What would be the duty if delta is increased by 20% and base
period reduced by 10 days?
• ∆ = 0.624 m
• D = 1382 ha/cumecs
Layout of Canal System
Layout of Canal System
• In a large canal irrigation system, the water from its source, flows into the main canal;
From the main canal, it flows into the branch canal; From the branch canal, it flows into
the distributary; From the distributary, it flows into the minor; From the minor, it flows
into the field channel/water course; and finally into the fields.
• During the passage of water through these irrigation canals, water is lost due to
• These loses are called transit losses or transmission or conveyance losses in canal
• Duty of water for a crop defined as no of hectares of land can be irrigated through one
• The duty of water-course will be less than duty of water on the field; because when
water flows from the head of the water-course and reaches the field, some water is lost
enroute as transit losses
• The duty of water (D) at the head of a minor < ‘D’ at the head of water-course
• The duty at the head of water-course (i.e outlet point of minor), is quite important and is
called outlet discharge factor, It is end point of the irrigation department
responsibilities
• Type of crops
• Usefull rainfall
• Type of soil
• Climate and season : Duty includes the water lost in evaporation and
percolation. Theses losses varies with seasons. Hence duty varies from season
to season
• Usefull rainfall : If some useful rainfall on the irrigate land, it will useful for
growth of the crop, then so much less irrigated water required to mature crop.
More useful rainfall, less will be requirement of irrigation water and hence
• Type of soil : if permeability of soil under the irrigation crop is high, the
water lost due to the percolation will be more and hence duty will be less.
In case of sandy soils, the duty of water is less, because of the higher
• Canal condition : In an earthen canal, the percolation loss is high which will
result in a low duty of water. But, if the canal is lined, the percolation loss will
• Base period of crop : In general when the base period of a crop is long, more
• If the irrigation of water economically used the duty of water will improve
• Importance of duty :
• Knowing the available water at the head of main canal and duty of various
crops to be irrigated in different seasons of a year, the area which can be
irrigated can be worked out.
• Inversely, if we know the crop area required to be irrigated and their duties,
we can work out the discharge required for designing the canal
Sugercane 730
Rice 775
Rabi 1800
Perennials 1100
• The Kharif crops are rice, bajra, jowar, maize, cotton, tobacco, groundnut, etc
• The Rabi crops are wheat, barely, gram, linseed, mustard, potatoes, etc
• Cash crops : Crop which has to be encashed in the market for processing, etc.
• Crops like jute, tea, cotton, tobacco, sugercane etc. are called cash crops
Optimum utilization of Irrigation water
• Crops rotation : The process of changing the type of crop to be grown in the
same field is know as crop rotation
• It has found if the same crop is grown in same field every year, fertility of the
land gets diminished and crop production is reduced
of water delivered to the field or the irrigated land to the quantity of water
• Thus, if Wf is the quantity of water delivered to the field and Wr is the quantity
of water diverted into the canal system from the river or reservoir then
𝑊𝑓
• nc = ∗ 100
𝑊𝑟
Irrigation Efficiencies
• Water application efficiency (na) : It is defined as the ratio of the quantity of
water stored in the root zone of the plants to the quantity of water delivered to
the field. It represent water looses which occurs during the application of
irrigation water to the field, the common losses are evaporation and percolation
• If Ws is the quantity of water stored in the root zone and Wf is the quantity of
water delivered to the field
𝑊𝑠
• na = ∗ 100
𝑊𝑓
• If the Ef is quantity of water lost as evaporation from the field and Df is the
𝑊𝑓 −(𝐸𝑓 +𝐷𝑓 )
quantity of water lost due to percolation na = ∗ 100
𝑊𝑓
Irrigation Efficiencies
• Water Use efficiency (nu) : It is defined as the ratio of the quantity of water
used beneficially including the water required for leaching to the quantity
of water delivered
• If Wu is the quantity of water used beneficially including the water required for
leaching and Wf is the quantity of water delivered to the field
𝑊𝑢
• nu = ∗ 100
𝑊𝑓
Irrigation Efficiencies
• Water storage efficiency (ns) : It is defined as the ration of the quantity of
water stored in the root zone during irrigation to the quantity of water
needed to bring the moisture content of soil to the field capacity
• If Ws is the quantity of water stored in the root zone during irrigation and Wn is
the quantity of water need to bring the moisture content of the soil to the field
capacity (i.e Wn = Field capacity – available moisture in the soil prior to
irrigation)
𝑊𝑠
• ns = ∗ 100
𝑊𝑛
Irrigation Efficiencies
• Water distribution efficiency or Uniform coefficient (nd) : The effectiveness
of irrigation measured by its water distribution efficiency or represents the
extent to which the water has penetrated to a uniform depth, through out the
field.
• When the water has penetrated uniformly throughout the field, the mean depth
is zero and water distribution efficiency is 1.0
𝑑
• nd = 1 −
𝐷
Irrigation Efficiencies
• Ex: The depths of penetration along the length of a boarded srip at point 30 m
apart were probed. Their observed values are 2.0, 1.9, 1.8, 1.6 and 1.5 m.
compute the water distribution efficiency?