Development and Evaluation of an Emitter with a Low-Pressure Drip-Irrigation System for Sustainable Eggplant Production

Abstract

Drip-irrigation can improve uniformity in water distribution, water use efficiency, and crop productivity in the saline and nonsaline regions of South Asia and in Bangladesh where the availability and quality of water resources are scare for sustainable crop production. However, the currently available drip-irrigation systems (DIS) have limitations especially in the design and field performance of emitters. A new type of emitter with low pressure (gravity) was developed, installed and evaluated using the locally produced materials in two locations (nonsaline and saline zones) of Bangladesh. The emitter discharge rate was measured for the variable operating heads of 1.5, 2, and 2.5 meter (m) with 0%, 1%, and 1.5% slopes with eggplant (Solanum melongena L.), a commonly grown vegetable in the region. The tested parameters of the emitter were manufacturer coefficient of variation (CVm), emission uniformity (EU), coefficient of uniformity (CU), and the statistical uniformity (Us) of water application. Our results reveal that the discharge rates of the emitter varied from 3 to 5 L h−1 under the operating head of 1.5 to 2.5 m with the slope of 0–1.5%, with better performance of the DIS at 2 m operating pressure head and for slopes of 0% and 1%. The CU of all the test parameters was more than 80%, implying that the DIS was designed and installed with appropriate dimensions for the efficient application and distribution of water to the individual plants, with the emitter performance classified as fair to excellent considering water application and distribution, as well as crop yield. The new emitter used for DIS in field conditions showed that the eggplant yield, water use, and water productivity were greater by 4.6%, 38%, and 70%, respectively, compared to farmers’ irrigation practice. We conclude that the DIS has a great prospect to save water, and could be a convenient irrigation water application method for sustainable crop production in saline and nonsaline regions of Bangladesh and similar soil and climatic conditions in South Asia.

Yield Response, Nutritional Quality and Water Productivity of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) are Influenced by Drip Irrigation and Straw Mulch in the Coastal Saline Ecosystem of Ganges Delta, India

“…However, identification of the critical irrigation amount and scheduling of irrigation are the most cost-efficient ways to improve water use efficiency [11]. Amongst the possible salinity alleviating technologies, drip irrigation from water stored during the monsoon season has been observed as promising in the coastal area [12,13]. The drip irrigation system can distribute water uniformly, control the water amount precisely, increase crop yields, reduce evapotranspiration (ET 0 ) and deep percolation losses, decrease dangers of soil degradation and salinity, reduce energy consumption, improve disease and pest control and is feasible for undulating sloppy lands [14,15].…”

Fundamentals of Irrigation Methods and Their Impact on Crop Production

“…There are factors toward implementing a particular irrigation system and crop cultivation in particular [21]. The integrating components include the irrigation pipe, water pump/tank, valve, emitters, and pressure gauge regulator for a typical drip irrigation system [21].…”

“…There are factors toward implementing a particular irrigation system and crop cultivation in particular [21]. The integrating components include the irrigation pipe, water pump/tank, valve, emitters, and pressure gauge regulator for a typical drip irrigation system [21]. The capital for implementing the newly adopted irrigation system, the human resources in the coordination, the management of infrastructure and water supply, and the strategy in operating the resources for good crop production are all important to be considered.…”

Reply on RC1

“…Hence it can be concluded that drippers are in a good type where the excellent performance should be less than 0.05. Emission uniformity (EU) is one of the most frequently used in design criteria for the drip simulator systems where it is used to describe the emitter flow variation along a lateral line (Sarker et., al, 2019). Emission uniformity measures the uniformity of emitters discharge from all the emitters of drip irrigation system and is the most important parameter for evaluating system performance.…”