Drip Irrigation VS Centre Pivot
Drip irrigation is a method of irrigation that involves the slow wetting of the root zones of plants. With drip irrigation, water is passed to the roots of the plants in trickles. Drip irrigation is also called trickle irrigation because of how it passes water to plants’ roots in droplets.
Drip irrigation is an efficient method of irrigation. It has been said that drip irrigation is the most efficient type of irrigation in the world. With drip irrigation, water and power needed for irrigation can be significantly saved unlike other methods of irrigation.
To use a drip irrigation system for your crops, you need to have drip tapes, connectors, valves, end plugs, venturi injector for Fertigation, source of water and a pump. These components are needed for the drip irrigation system to work perfectly.
The center pivot or water wheel is also called circle irrigation system. The center pivot is an equipment that rotates around a pivot. It has a set of sprinklers used for irrigating crops. The centre pivot moves in a circular way around the farm. It also irrigates crops through its sprinklers while moving around the farm.
The center pivot is just a group of sprinklers set on a motorized equipment with the aim of wetting crops while it rotates in a circular way. The newer center pivots are powered by electricity, the older types are powered by the force and pressure of water flowing through them.
To use a center pivot, there must be a big water reservoir. The types of water reservoirs usually used are rivers and dams.
Advantages of drip irrigation as compared to center pivot
The advantages of drip irrigation over center pivot are:
Savings in the use of water
Drip irrigation is efficient in the use of water. Drip irrigation can save 70 -80% of water as compared to center pivot. In spite of the savings in water usage, drip irrigation can enable plants yield more.
Center pivot uses a lot of water, it is not water efficient, this is why you need a large water reservoir for center pivots.
Ease of Deployment and Installation
One of the merits of drip irrigation is the ease and simplicity of deploying and installing drip irrigation systems in farms. Drip irrigation systems can be installed on farms and gardens within a short time.
For center pivots, engineers and experts need to use several days to plan how to install the system. It takes several days for center pivots to be installed on farms.
Efficiency in the Use of Power
Drip irrigation systems may not necessarily need power or electricity for them to work well. Gravity drip irrigation system does not need power or electricity to work.
On the other hand, center pivots need power or electricity to work well.
Efficiency in Fertilizer Application
With drip irrigation, Fertigation enables a reduced application and usage of fertilizers by plants. Fertigation is the application of soluble fertilizers to the roots of plants through the drip irrigation tubings. Fertigation is highly efficient; it also optimizes the usage of fertilizers by plants.
Centre pivots cannot be used for Fertigation.
Reduced Cost of Labour
Drip irrigation reduces the cost of labour needed for farming activities like application of fertilizers, application of pesticides and irrigation work. A single person can handle the irrigation of large acreage of farmland in the case of drip irrigation.
This is not the case with centre pivots.
Reduction in Disease Outbreak
Drip irrigation systems do not spray water on the leaves and surfaces of the plants. Spraying water on the leaves and surfaces of plants can increase the risk of diseases in plants especially fungal diseases.
The use of centre pivots can increase the risk of plants getting fungal diseases.
Advantages of Centre Pivot as compared to Drip Irrigation
The advantages of center pivots over drip irrigation are discussed below:
- Center pivots can make plants optimize the use of nitrogen better than drip irrigation.
- Center pivots can destroy the breeding of some insects and pests.
- Center pivots can be used to apply foliar pesticides and fertilizers to plants.
- Center pivots are better for irrigating large acreages of farmland than drip irrigation.
In our opinion; drip irrigation is better than center pivot.
