Insurance Policy Coverage Extension Criteria - Importance Of Understanding Coverage Extension Criteria Understanding the coverage extension criteria is vital for various reasons. Firstly, it helps individuals to determine the scope of the coverage they are entitled to, which is essential in making informed decisions about insurance policies. Secondly, it enables policyholders to identify any gaps in their coverage, which may lead to financial losses in the event of unexpected events. Additionally, understanding coverage extension criteria is crucial for businesses to protect their assets and investments from potential risks. Companies must ensure that their policies cover the necessary aspects of their operations, including employees, equipment, and property. Lastly, comprehending coverage extension criteria is beneficial for mitigating risks and ensuring that policyholders are prepared for unfo
Flood irrigation is the oldest and most widely used irrigation system in the world. Flood irrigation uses the most water to irrigate crops, which is a problem as global temperatures rise, droughts last longer, and population growth puts more strain on the planet's limited water supplies.
70% of the freshwater resources on Earth are used for agriculture, and 95% of farmers employ flood irrigation. Regrettably, flood irrigation is the least effective among all irrigation methods, including center pivot and drip irrigation. Up to 50% of the water needed for irrigation is wasted during floods.
Flood irrigation does, however, have advantages. It is the most inexpensive and energy-efficient method of irrigating crops since evaporation is decreased. Moreover, some crops benefit from flood irrigation methods. Moreover, modern techniques and technology advancements have discovered ways to improve flood irrigation's water efficiency.
If so, should your farm use flood irrigation? Or another irrigation technique like drip, sprinkler, or pivot irrigation? It depends, like with most things in farming. Farmers should consider their crop needs, water availability, energy resources, and economics while selecting whether or not to use flood irrigation.
Let's start by going into more detail about flood irrigation:
Subtypes for Flood Irrigation and Particular Terrain
According to Oklahoma State University's extension services, flood irrigation, or surface irrigation, is any irrigation technique that uses gravity rather than pressured water to distribute water to croplands.
As a result, flood irrigation is a low-tech, low-energy irrigation technique that may be used without expensive equipment or complicated technology.
There are various ways to apply water using a flood irrigation philosophy, even though they all share the same fundamental principle—a non-pressurized irrigation system.
Watering the Basin
Basin irrigation uses a shallow, flat basin enclosed by built-in levees. For crops like rice that are not negatively impacted by prolonged exposure to water, basin irrigation is adequate. Southern American rice growers are one example of basin irrigation. An earthen levee surrounds their rice fields, and during the rice-growing season, floodgates are opened to let water flow across the entire area.
Basin irrigation fields are frequently broad, rectangular, and constructed with a slight slope to flow the water from the intake point through the area. Basin irrigation, however, can also be focused and modest, such as when individual basins are created around certain fruit trees, and each one is individually flooded using a hose system connected to a ditch.
Basin irrigation works best with soil that has a medium to fine texture.
Irrigation via Floods
For crops like rice that are not negatively impacted by prolonged exposure to water, basin irrigation is adequate.
Marginal Irrigation
Forage crops that cannot tolerate standing water, such as alfalfa, wheat, and row crops, are frequently irrigated using border irrigation. It works well on fields with reasonably low to high water intake rates to prevent puddles in the area.
In that it covers the entire field, border irrigation is comparable to basin irrigation. In contrast, a ditch runs along the field's highest height in border irrigation, which divides the land into sloping boundaries. Most of the time, areas are broad, rectangular, and vertically falling away from the water source. At the low end of the field, irrigation water is allowed to drain, or it might be collected.
A border irrigation system uses hand-dug entry points positioned thoughtfully along the border to maximize water circulation to release irrigation water into the field from a ditch.
Irrigation in Furrows
Between planted ridges, furrow irrigation is used. Fields can have a variety of shapes. The soil is first prepared by planting mounds and vertical channels (furrows). Water is immediately poured into each track, traveling along its length and penetrating the ground at the root level.
A water pipe or a ditch supplies water to the furrows. Each furrow receives water from the gutter via hoses or tiny pipelines.
Furrow irrigation effectively prevents water from puddling on the soil surface and is best employed on soils with reasonable water intake rates for annual row crop cultivation.
Rows of potato plants with irrigation furrows
Furrow irrigation is adequate for growing annual row crops and is most effective on soils with moderate water requirements.
Flood Irrigation History
Flood or surface irrigation has existed for a very long time. It was a logical progression from the earliest type of irrigation people had ever used, which involved transporting water to crops in buckets from a water source.
They constructed channels and canals to channel enormous volumes of water from lakes and rivers to flood their agricultural fields in areas where yearly rainfall was insufficient to sustain the development of crops. The first irrigation canal was built in ancient Mesopotamia in approximately 5500 BC (current-day Iraq).
Flood irrigation was the primary type used in the United States before the 1970s and the introduction of center pivot irrigation. Once the Roosevelt Dam was erected in 1911, areas like the farmland surrounding Phoenix, Arizona, were converted from desert to agriculture using flood irrigation.
As of 2015, more than one-third of all irrigated areas in the United States were watered utilizing flood irrigation techniques. Flood irrigation is also the most used irrigation method in underdeveloped countries.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Flood Irrigation
With so many different irrigation techniques available, it's frequently best to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each to make an informed decision that will only end up costing necessary or ultimately necessitate moving to a different technique. These are a few advantages of flood irrigation that you should take into account:
The Most Affordable Irrigation System Flood irrigation systems are simple to construct and use little to no electricity.
Flood irrigation is the finest method for swiftly and thoroughly recharging soil moisture levels, elevating the water table, and increasing crop yields.
Flood Irrigation does Not scald Plants - The risk of leaf scorching from water droplets, a significant issue in pressurized sprinkler systems, is removed because water is supplied at the root zone level.
Cons: Inefficient and unsustainable water use. More water may be applied than is necessary to support crop development. Runoff occurs at the boundaries of fields. Irrigation water is lost to leaching. As nutrients flow out of the area with water runoff, they could be wasted.
Flood irrigation systems are effective in clay soils. Still, they are ineffective in sandy soils because the irrigation water soaks in too quickly and leaches out a large portion before plant roots can use it.
Too flat or steep fields will require grading work to use a flood irrigation system.
How to Improve Flood Irrigation's Sustainability - Even though flood irrigation practices date back thousands of years, new technology, increased availability of tools and equipment, and a greater understanding of soil structure have led to novel approaches to managing flood irrigation systems.
Field leveling: Farmers employ leveling equipment to ensure no obstructions, such as a minor hill, prevent water from flowing through a field. Farmers may even use sophisticated leveling tools like laser beams to scrape a field flat.
Surge irrigation is a technique that releases water in bursts to slow down unintended runoff and give the soil more time to absorb the moisture.
Water Retention Systems: Farmers construct water retention systems to collect runoff water and then pump it back to the field's front and into the water source.
Designing the Field's Slope and Furrows to Increase Infiltration Rates – Different soil types absorb water at varying rates. For example, a.5% slope grade and small, narrow furrows are excellent for furrow irrigation in fast-draining (sandy) soil. On the other hand, clay-based earth works best in furrow irrigation when it has a.1% gradient and long, wide furrows that promote water penetration throughout a large portion of the soil surface.
No-Till Furrows: Farmers can employ no-till techniques to create their furrow channels instead of tilling the actual furrow. Cover crops remain in place when the base of the track is left untilled, enhancing water penetration and promoting less water runoff. Furrow irrigation systems with conservation tillage techniques increased irrigation efficiency by reducing runoff by up to 93%.
Managing Flood Irrigation Decisions with Farm Management Software
While employing a flood irrigation system, numerous decisions must be made about managing different soil types, crops, water sources, flow rates, and water application. Farmers may receive the highest returns from a flood irrigation system or any other type of irrigation by keeping account of irrigation inputs, tracking expenses, and keeping tabs on outcomes.
Growers can monitor any irrigation-related activity usually carried out on a field using the AGRIVI farm management system. Farmers can enter information such as the quantity of water utilized, the source of the water, its cost, and the precise day and time when crop irrigation took place.
Also, farmers can utilize AGRIVI to control how their water is distributed across a field, which is particularly helpful when water allotments are few. When irrigation is complete, growers can evaluate the cost per irrigated field, including labor hours and equipment used, via the AGRIVI dashboard.
Farmers can analyze and improve their flood irrigation practices for the best ROI or determine whether they should switch from flood irrigation to another irrigation system by fully understanding all aspects of flood irrigation and tacking irrigation activities using farm management software to monitor costs and results.
Are you prepared to learn how AGRIVI may assist you in managing your flood irrigation choices for a more lasting, effective, and reasonably priced system? Today, test out an AGRIVI product demo.