Drip Irrigation Installation

Irrigation has a decisive impact on the fruit size and weight and the crop quality and quantity. However, in order to ensure the efficient use of water,it is also important to observe the required drip irrigation installation and maintenance procedures,such as pruning and thinning.

 

Drip Irrigation Installation and Maintenance Procedures:

• Dripper selection: Choose a dripper suitable for the local site conditions to ensure optimal water supply and quality yield.
• Drippers not in use: In young orchards irrigated with integral drippers, it is recommended to seal the unused drippers. In case of online drippers, additional installation should be considered depending on the age of the tree.
• Cleaning and maintenance: Tree landscape pruning and weed clearing contribute efficient irrigation.
• Thinning: The thinning determines the quality and quantity of the final crop. Important principles:
  • Adjust the number of fruit on the tree to the spacings between  the trees.
  • Adjust the thinning to changes in the water supply: during drought, significant thinning is required.
  • Make sure the distribution on the tree is uniform for optimal water use.
  • Adjust the thinning according to the desired fruit size (usually no less than 60 mm in diameter).
• Driplines: In old orchards with high irrigation demands (in tropical and subtropical areas), a second or even third pipe should be planned, to be deployed when the trees yield fruit (from the fifth or sixth year and on).
• Dripline wall thickness: To ensure maximum resilience of drip irrigation systems, and to protect the driplines & drippers from early degradation by weather, chemicals and other harmful factors, it is important to use top quality polymer blends that maintain dripline flexibility and durability over time. In addition, pipe resistance to mechanical damage depends mainly on the wall thickness: a thicker wall is more resilient than a thinner wall. But it’s important to remember that manufacturing a thicker walled pipe requires more raw materials, which in turn, raises the system’s costs.

?* ?Table?: ?Annual Irrigation Plan Sample

• Peach and nectarine
• 700m above sea level, temperate climate
• 660 trees/ha, 3x5m spacing
• Harvest at the end of July, expected yield: 50 ton/ha

Month	Avg. Pan Evaporation (mm/day)	Pan Evaporation Factor	Avg. daily irrigation		Monthly Quantity (m3/ha)
			Liter/tree/day	m3/ha/day
April	3.0	0.5	22.7	15	450
May	5.2	0.7	55.4	36.6	1100
June	8.3	0.8	101	66.6	2000
July	8.5	0.9	116	76.6	2300
August	7.6	0.25	28.7	19.0	570
September	7.2	0.20	22.7	15	450
October	5.0	0.19	14.4	9.5	285
Season Total					7155

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* The figures in this table are taken from the orchard’s data base and are indicative only. Your irrigation plans should be prepared based on the meteorological data and the topographical conditions in the orchard site, according to the following calculation method:

1 mm/day from pan = 10 m3/ ha
Avg. pan evaporation  X  Pan evaporation factor  X  10  =  irrigation quantity (m3/ha/day)     ?

Dripper Selection

When choosing a dripper, always consult your agronomist or project designer.  The dripper should suit the hydraulic specifications, the water capacity and the plant needs. For additional information, please consult the Metzer experts.

Vered Dripper

VERED is a flat integral dripper with a unique pressure compensating mechanism and a large inlet filter. It is the most popular dripper for orchards. Due to its high durability and excellent field performance, the VERED dripper is also the choice product for growers of vines, deciduous trees and subtropical crops. 

Click here to view the Vered Dripper product sheet

ADI Dripper

ADI, a cylindrical pressure compensating dripper with a large inlet filter, is considered the best of its kind. With exceptional reliability and resistance to clogging, this dripper offers the best solution for orchards and row crops in difficult terrain conditions. The ADI dripper is also ideal for irrigation with treated effluent, and for subsurface drip irrigation systems.

Click here to view the Adi Dripper product sheet

Click here to read an article about the Subsurface Drip Irrigation method

Vardit Dripper

VARDIT is a flat integral dripper with an accurate pressure compensation mechanism. It is the most suitable choice for a modern, well-designed orchard with an adequate water source. With its elegant and relatively small structure, the VARDIT is an economical dripper providing quick return on investment. 

Click here to view the Vardit Dripper product sheet

Gali Dripper

GALI is an online PC/PCND dripper with a unique pressure compensation mechanism and a compact structure. It is highly efficient and economical, a small dripper with great performance. The GALI dripper is the right choice for new plantings, young orchards and greenhouse crops grown on soilless substrate.

Click here to view the Gali Dripper product sheet