Irrigation technology involves devices like pumps, sprinklers, and ditches to artificially move water in the soil. The first traces of irrigation date back to ancient times, with the Middle Eastern empires being the first to employ it. Modern irrigation methods include surface and spot irrigation, with drip and sprinkler being the most common types of spot irrigation.
Irrigation technology consists of devices used for irrigation. Basically, irrigation is the process of artificially moving water in the soil. This is a process that has been employed for centuries, with the earliest known irrigation systems dating back to ancient times. Irrigation processes always involve some sort of device to move water, such as pumps, sprinklers, and ditches. Irrigation technology can vary according to the type of irrigation used and the area to be irrigated.
The ancient Middle Eastern empires were the first to employ irrigation technology, with the first traces dating back to the sixth millennium BC. Here began the irrigation processes for the cultivation of barley, which was not native to the region. During the millennia BC, irrigation canals were employed for similar purposes. These systems, however, relied primarily on rainwater and natural flooding, with the canals mainly used for distribution purposes.
One of the oldest types of irrigation canals, known as a qanat, is still in use today in parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Qanats were developed in Persia around 800 BC and consist of many vertical shafts driven into mountains or large slopes, emptying into a sloping culvert. The mouth of these channels would be at the base of the field to be irrigated.
At about the same time as the introduction of the qanats, the first modern methods of hydraulic irrigation arose. The first useful water wheel, known as the noria, consisted of clay pots around a wooden rim. The Chinese developed some of the first methods of moving water during the Han Dynasty, 206 BC to AD 220, using chain pumps and other hydraulic machinery, such as water wheels, to move water to higher elevations. Over time, irrigation technology has continued to develop, one of the most notable developments being mechanized water pumps.
While there are many different types of irrigation in the modern world, they all require two major components: one system to pump the water and another to distribute it. The type of irrigation technology used depends on the irrigation process employed. Two of the most common types of irrigation are surface and spot irrigation, the latter including drip, sprinkler, center pivot and lateral motion irrigation. Each process requires specific equipment and different volumes of water. Regardless of the process, the purpose of any irrigation system is to distribute water evenly over an entire field.
Surface irrigation is one of the most common and simple irrigation methods. The water is naturally sent or pumped to the earth, where it is distributed by gravity. In many circumstances, the fields are separated into sectors and flooded. The water level is often controlled by mounds of earth, which are broken up or built up to raise or lower the water level, respectively.
Spot irrigation involves specialized machinery to distribute the water. The water is typically delivered through low pressure pipes and can be applied to crops in a variety of ways. One of the most common types of spot irrigation is drip irrigation, where occasional drops of water are applied, as opposed to spraying. Most modern drip irrigation systems have piping systems above the plants, which can create problems during the harvesting process.
Another common type of spot irrigation is sprinkler irrigation, which is exactly what the name suggests: water is distributed through a fixed sprinkler system, which sprays water evenly over crops and plants. In some situations, fields may be too large for fixed sprinklers; instead, irrigation systems supported by movable trellises run regularly across the fields. This helps distribute the water evenly without having to install a huge stationary sprinkler system.
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