GRAVITY IRRIGATION SYSTEM

1. INTRODUCTION

Gravity irrigation includes a variety of irrigation types that have the

common characteristic that water is applied to the surface of the soil and is
distribute in the field by gravity, so that the irrigation flow decreases
throughout the field due to the infiltration of the terrain.

The fact that the force of gravity performs the distribution of water makes
that it is not necessary to have complex water distribution structures
cubriendo la parcela a regar, como las tuberías de los sistemas de aspersión o
drip.

On the other hand, it is also not necessary to pressurize the water to obtain a proper
and uniform distribution. This means that gravity irrigation systems have
clear economic advantages: they do not need complex equipment that burdens
farmer with his amortizations, nor is it necessary to pump water above the
parcel level, with the consequent energy savings.

When surface irrigation systems are well designed and are

manejados de forma adecuada, el riego por superficie es muy eficiente y permite
the uniform irrigation of the plot.

However, when these systems are poorly designed or operated, or when

they are not adapted to the particular conditions of a farm, these advantages are
are canceled due to other costs that may be related to the system, such as some
high labor needs, decreases in production or little
efficiency in water use.

1.1 OBJECTIVES

Determine the efficiency of the gravity irrigation system in the

different types of soil.
Determine the parameters to follow in order to achieve an adequate system of
gravity irrigation.
2. DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOPIC

2.1. Definition of the gravity irrigation system.

It consists of conducting a current of water from a supply source.
towards the fields and apply it directly to the surface of the soil by
gravity, covering the ground completely or partially.
2.2. Main characteristics.
The main characteristic of gravity irrigation is the way of distributing the
water in the soil. As the water moves across the surface of the soil, it occurs
simultaneously the distribution of water in the plot and the infiltration of the
same in the soil profile
2.3 Faces of the gravity irrigation system
In any surface irrigation system, the application of water to the
parcel implies a series of stages or phases in reference to the movement of
water, its storage on the surface of the soil and its infiltration.
In any irrigation system, all these stages or phases can occur.
but in certain cases, some of them may not exist. A development
The usual or normal surface irrigation consists of the following:
Advance of water over the surface from the moment it begins
to be applied. Its advance originates on the surface of the ground until
reach the farthest point considering that the advance has finished
when all the places that the water must reach have been soaked.
The advance of water over the soil can have a very diverse duration.
depending on the type of surface irrigation system, but basically
depends on: the applied flow, the slope, the length of the path that
it must flow through the water and the soil's infiltration capacity. The greater
higher flow, greater slope and shorter parcel length, the less time there will be.
necessary for the water to cover all points of the plot and
complete the progress. As will be seen below, for the purpose of quantity of
water infiltrated with irrigation, the ideal is that the advance is fast so that
all points of the plot remain wet for as long as possible
possible, but this poses a risk of eroding the soil.
Once the progress is complete, if the application of water continues
to the plot, it begins to be stored on the ground at the same time as
 continues to infiltrate. At this stage of the irrigation, all points of the plot
who should receive water and have already gotten wet, begin to store it. They
it can admit that storage begins when it is completed
advance and continue until the water supply is cut off, that is, until
that the irrigation application time is reached, called time of
irrigation. If the water supply is cut off just when it has been completed the
advance, there will be no water storage on the ground.
When the water supply has been cut off at the head, infiltration
the water in the soil, combined with runoff if there is a slope, causes the
stored water on the surface is gradually disappearing,
time during which the gradual depletion of the water occurs that
exists above the ground. At a certain moment, some place on the plot
it remains damp but without water on the surface, finishing the phase
of exhaustion and starting the stage or phase of recession, which extends
until the water completely disappears from the surface of the soil. If the
the plot has no slope and is perfectly leveled, the recess is
produce simultaneously at all points. Otherwise, the usual.
Will the recess start at the head and end at the tail.

2.4. Types of gravity irrigation

A. Furrow irrigation
Furrow irrigation is the usual method for row crops; in the furrow, the water
it runs along its bottom and the plants generally occupy the ridges
of the same, as shown in the figure
Shape of the furrows: The number of furrows that are irrigated simultaneously
it can be adjusted to the available flow. The investment cost is very low.
and the construction of the furrow can be done by the farmer himself. This
surface irrigation modality has limitations regarding the risk of
erosion, high runoff at the end of the furrow and high infiltration in soils
sandy. The linear grooves are the most common but when there is
steep slope, this is avoided through contour furrows as it is
shown in the figure. On certain occasions to increase the length
the furrows can be designed in a zigzag pattern.

B. IRRIGATION BY BEDS
Conditions that favor the implementation of the method.

The furrow irrigation method is used in crops with a high density of

sowing, that is, in the cereals and forage crops sown "broadcast."
The lands must be flat and the method is suitable for everyone.
types of soils, as long as they have good infiltration speed
and low erodibility. Given that the flow rate necessary for the same
The length of the melga is a function of the width of the strip or spacing.

of the embankments, and taking into account that a reduced spacing

it would overly fracture the irrigated area, it is required for this
large flow systems. The efficiency in furrow irrigation is
similarly elevated; but as it requires good leveling, the
The installation costs of the system are also high.

Pending

In order to maintain a uniform height sheet across the entire width of

the melga, these must be completely level in the sense
transversal. In the longitudinal sense, that is, in the direction of the irrigation,

Three layers are presented just like in the grooves, namely:

a) 0% slope, without drainage at the foot and without recession effect of the
sheet;

b) mild slope, between 0.1 and 0.5%, with drainage at the base and significant
recession effect of the sheet.

c) steep slope, between 0.5 and 1%, with drainage at the foot and limited
recession effect of the sheet. Since the erosive effect is a function
from the slope, the optimal values for furrow irrigation do not exceed 0.1
a 0.2 %. The slope should not have a cross slope, this implies
let the water flow down, head-on. Since this is very difficult, sometimes it
works in steps. A maximum elevation difference of
2.5 cm. The edges typically have a height of 20 cm and a
variable width (50 cm to 2 m) depends on the crop that is planted, as
If teams pass over them, they must be wide. Normally they
It pretends that at the beginning the strip of land is horizontal on both sides.
 senses, this creates an accumulation and we ensure the
formation of a water front

Length of the furrows

The hydraulics of surface irrigation allows for obtaining the longest

suitable for irrigation with high efficiency. Various determinations
experiments have been poured into tables that allow selection
the length of the furrow depending on the texture of the soil, slope
and flow rate. In general, it is accepted:

L < 300 m, 6 < a < 15 m

C. DITCHES: are used in areas with steep slopes and for crops.
arboreal like in the case of the olive grove. The pools have the function of

store rainwater and make it available to the plant during a

time period, which varies depending on weather conditions.
In years with little rain, these ponds can be filled by
hoses as long as water is available in the surroundings.
Normally the pools are closed but there are occasions when they are open.
communicated with each other, then having a kind of channel of
drain

III. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

3.1. Advantages of the gravity irrigation system

The advantages of surface irrigation compared to other irrigation methods are

mainly the following:

Low investment cost, if no prior explanation is required, and of

maintenance of the facilities.

These risks are not affected by weather conditions such as

wind, humidity, etc. as occurs with sprinkler irrigation.
 Water quality does not influence (except for salts) and it is possible to irrigate.
with low quality water, not suitable for other irrigation methods such as
located.

They do not require energy consumption, at least since the water reaches the plot.
Energy is consumed when it is necessary to raise it from the place of origin to
lower level than the plot.

Due to the essentially vertical movement of water when it infiltrates, they are
very suitable for washing salts.

The structures used to control and distribute water are usually

made with low-cost materials and even made with the soil itself.

No se requiere energía para aplicar el agua

Low cost of investment and maintenance

Poor quality water can be used even if it is not saline.

Not affected by weather conditions

3.2. Disadvantages of the gravity irrigation system

The following can be highlighted:

Surface irrigation systems usually have lower efficiency in use

of the water than those of other methods, albeit with appropriate design and management it

You can achieve very acceptable values.

Since the soil distributes and infiltrates water, the amount of water infiltrated
It depends a lot on the characteristics of it that can vary.
considerably even within the same plot.

Flat or gently sloping land is required and an excavation is needed.

precise.

It is not very suitable for giving light irrigation, especially in sandy soils.
where the water infiltrates quickly.
 The ground surface gets wet, so there will have to be
schedule another series of cultural practices (clarified, paid, application of
herbicide or phytosanitary, collection, etc.) so that they do not interfere with irrigation.

It can cause alterations in the soil structure and harm the

development of the roots.

It requires a reduced and uniform slope.

It is not good for shallow irrigation in light soils.

Irrigations must be scheduled taking other practices into account.

IV. CONCLUSIONS

1. To achieve adequate gravity irrigation, certain factors must be taken into account.
parameters such as: the area to be irrigated must be subject to the type of soil, to the
slope of the land to be irrigated, the type of crop, the infiltration time, the
volume of water needed for each crop which is subject to the age of the
plant and the climate of the area etc.

2. Considering the texture of the soils, sandy ones infiltrate water quickly.
and they have a higher basic infiltration. Similarly, the clayey ones infiltrate
very slowly even at the beginning and have a very basic infiltration
reduced, hence they often cause waterlogging problems. It is also
the way water infiltrates is different depending on the texture of the soil.
In a sandy soil, water moves essentially towards layers.
profound, that is, a vertical movement of water occurs, reason why the
Sandy soils tend to generate deep drainage when there is an excess.
of water. For its part, in clay soils, water also moves
laterally while the movement towards deeper layers is more
limited, which means that in surface irrigation systems with soils
clayey soils require relatively high infiltration times to
to bring down to the ground the water height corresponding to the required sheet,
this is the water layer that is necessary to apply with irrigation.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Faci González, J.M.; Playan Jubillar, E. (1994). Basic Principles of Irrigation
by Surface. Disclosure Sheet 10-11/94 HD. Technical General Secretariat.
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Madrid.

García Casillas, Ignacio Germán. Classification and selection of the systems of

irrigation.

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