Microirrigation Technologies for Water Conservation and Sustainable Crop Production

Microirrigation refers to the slow application of water on, above, or below the soil by surface drip, subsurface drip, bubbler, and microsprinkler systems. Water is applied as discrete or continuous drips, tiny streams, or miniature spray through emitters or applicators placed along a water delivery line adjacent to the plant row. Microirrigation encompasses drip or trickle (both surface and subsurface), microsprinklers (spinners and rotators), micro-jets (static and vibrating), micro-sprayers, bubblers. Microirrigation is now widely recognized as one of the most efficient methods of watering crops all over the world and it represents  a definite advancement in irrigation technology. The Working Group on Microirrigation of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) has conducted surveys on the extent of microirrigation periodically since 1981. These surveys, summarized by, indicate that area under microirrigation grew slowly but steadily and it was about 6.2 mha in 2006. The top four countries in microirrigated areas are – India, China, the USA and Spain accounting for about 66.3% of the total microirrigated area of the world. In some countries such as Israel where water availability limits crop production, microirrigation commands about 75% of the total irrigated area. Enough empirical evidence is available from different parts of the country to suggest that drip technology saves water in comparison to surface method of irrigation from 18.7 to 47.7% in orchards and fruits, 2.1 to 42.9% in field crops, 11.9 to 38% in vegetable crops, 14.3 to 51.3% in root, bulb and tuber crops, 12 to 56% in plantation crops, 36.7 to 46.7% in spice crops and 41.4 % in flowers in a properly designed and managed drip irrigation system.