Author: Graziano Ghinassi (Italy)

Year: 2008, ISBN: 81-89610-11-2

Type: Special Publication, Format: Print

Improvement of on-farm irrigation efficiency is important not only to enhance the overall irrigation efficiency of the irrigation schemes but also to boost the crop water productivity. Worldwide, the use of sprinkler and micro irrigation methods have been steadily increasing in order to cope with declining water withdrawals to irrigation, better use of other farm inputs like - seed, fertilizers and chemicals, energy, etc. besides increasing crop yields. At the same time, these pressurized irrigation technologies should not be considered as a panacea for improved on-farm water management. Experience has shown that if these systems are not designed, operated, and maintained properly, they may not give the expected benefits and even in some situations may adversely affect the crop growth. It is therefore essential to carry out periodic diagnostic analysis and performance evaluation of the pressurized irrigation systems to ensure that they are operating optimally. ICID Working Group on On-Farm Water Management (WG-ON-FARM) has been promoting the science and art of on-farm technology with a view to improve irrigation management and optimal use of various resources, and technology transfer worldwide. Among the pressurized irrigation, micro irrigation technology is expanding by leaps and bounds. Today about 14% of the total world irrigated area is equipped with sprinkler and micro irrigation systems. Many new and innovative products are being produced by the researchers and manufacturers. This publication 'Manual for Performance Evaluation of Sprinkler and Drip Irrigation Systems in Different Agro-Climatic Regions of the World' is the third in its series. The manual is authored by Dr. Graziano Ghinassi, Member WG-ON-FARM and Researcher, Department of Agricultural and Forest Engineering, University of Florence, Italy. Dr. Ghinassi has a long and varied field experience in conducting performance evaluation tests of different types of sprinkler and micro irrigation systems. Although, there are many publications on performance evaluation of on-farm irrigation methods, this manual is different due to its own unique approach. It provides a comprehensive information both, theoretical and practical; these inter-alia include appropriate performance indicators, field evaluation techniques and factors affecting irrigation systems performance etc. Dr. Ghinassi has touched upon the practical aspects and provided minute details on various performance indicators and their field testing. The use of several diagrams/ sketches and field pictures, besides case studies from various countries enhance the value of the work.