What are the benefits of using sprinkler irrigation machines for field irrigation?

Sprinkler irrigation machines are one of the ideal water-saving irrigation tools suited to China's national conditions. They come in many types, and each type has different advantages, but each type of sprinkler irrigation machine is suited to different places; for example, some cannot be used in fields. So what are the benefits of using sprinkler irrigation machines for agricultural field irrigation?

Field sprinkler irrigation technology is a relatively advanced water-saving irrigation method, with some characteristics compared with other water-saving irrigation methods:

1. Saves water. Canal irrigation of fields uses an average of about 100 cubic meters of water per mu per irrigation, reaching up to 150 cubic meters in mountainous areas, while sprinkler-irrigated fields use about 25 cubic meters per mu per irrigation, with a water-saving rate as high as 75%. In water-poor mountainous areas with uneven terrain, the water-saving effect is even more obvious.

2. Saves land and increases yield. With canal irrigation, small plots of 1.5 m have a multiple cropping rate of less than 60%; sprinkler-irrigated fields level the canals and remove the ridges, and the multiple cropping rate reaches more than 90%; with two crops per year per mu, yields can increase by about 300 kg.

3. Wide adaptability. It does not require high land leveling, and even complex terrain such as mountain slopes and gentle slopes can be sprinkler irrigated; it can be used not only to irrigate crops, but also to irrigate garden lawns and flowers, and can also be used to spray fertilizers, pesticides, and so on.

4. Saves time. One round of irrigation takes about 15 days, while once a sprinkler-irrigated field is built, it only takes 4 days to irrigate it all, saving 2/3 of the time.

5. Saves labor and money. The sprinkler irrigation demonstration village established a professional service team of 3-4 people; farmers only need to pay the water fee and do not need to provide labor to irrigate the fields.

6. Improves soil structure. Canal irrigation applies excessive water, which easily causes soil compaction. Sprinkler irrigation can manually control soil moisture, effectively improving the soil's physical properties, making the soil loose and active, and suitable for crop seeds to break through the soil and emerge; it can also improve the field microclimate and reduce the harm of low humidity and high-temperature dry hot winds.

7. Facilitates mechanized operations. It shortens the cultivation time of the three summer and three autumn periods, gains time for timely sowing of wheat and summer corn, and forms a virtuous cycle in which crops fully mature; after mechanized wheat harvest in sprinkler-irrigated fields, corn can be planted immediately, and with timely and appropriate moisture supplementation, emergence can be advanced by more than 10 days.

8. Spraying pesticides and fertilizers improves effective utilization rates. With traditional fertilization methods, pesticide spraying is uneven, and the effective utilization rate is about 30%. Using sprinkler irrigation to spray pesticides and fertilizers evenly can increase the effective utilization rate to more than 70%.

From some data comparing sprinkler irrigation with border irrigation, the obvious advantages of sprinkler irrigation in many aspects can also be seen: it saves about 50% of water, increases cultivated land area by 7%-20%, and saves 50% of labor. Field crop yields increase by 20%-30%, vegetable yields increase by 50%-100%, and the wheat irrigation quota drops from 400 cubic meters/mu to 168 cubic meters/mu, with a yield increase of 30%.

II. Classification of sprinkler irrigation systems:

A sprinkler irrigation system generally includes a water source, power machine, water pump, canal system, and sprinklers, among other parts. According to the degree to which the main components of the sprinkler irrigation system can be moved during the irrigation season, it can be divided into three categories: fixed, semi-fixed, and mobile.

1. Fixed sprinkler irrigation system. The water pump and power machine form a fixed pump station, the main pipes and branch pipes are mostly buried underground, and the sprinklers are installed on fixed vertical pipes. The investment per mu is high, but operation is convenient, production efficiency is high, and land occupation is small.

2. Semi-fixed sprinkler irrigation system. The water pump, power machine, and main pipes are fixed, while the branch pipes are movable. The investment per unit area is far lower than that of a fixed sprinkler irrigation system.

3. Mobile sprinkler irrigation system. Only the water source is arranged in the field, while the power machine, water pump, main pipes, branch pipes, and sprinklers can all be moved. Equipment utilization is high and investment is low, but moving the units and pipes requires heavy labor and occupies a relatively large area.