what is irrigation

Irrigation is the replacement or supplementation of rainfall with water from another source in order to grow crops or plants.

 

The water source for irrigation may be a nearby or distant body of lake or frozen water such as a river, spring, lake, aquifer, well, or snowpack. Depending on the distance of the source and the seasonality of rainfall, the water may be channelled directly to the agricultural fields or stored in reservoirs or cisterns for later use. In addition, the "harvesting" of local rain that falls on the roofs of buildings or on nearby unfarmed hills and its use to supplement the rain that falls directly on farmed fields also involves irrigation.

 

Various types of irrigation techniques differ in how the water obtained from the source is distributed within the field. In general, the goal is to supply the entire field uniformly with water, so that each plant has the amount of water it needs, neither too much nor too little.

 

 

The types of irrigation are:

 

- Flood irrigation 

- Overhead (sprinkler) irrigation 

-Center pivot irrigation 

- Lateral move (Side roll, Wheel line) irrigation 

-Drip, or trickle irrigation 

-Subirrigation