Learn to Manage Irrigation Systems
This course is ideal for people who already have some irrigation knowledge but who would like to refine their understanding of irrigation design and system maintenance.
It includes topics such as how to monitor water usage, measuring volumes of water administered, problems with different impurities in water, electronic equipment, and different types of system design and components.
Towards becoming an expert
- Learn water management, to grow better plants
- A unique course, with practical application across all types of horticulture, developed and taught by highly trained and experienced professional horticulturists
Duration: 100 hours
This course compliments the "Irrigation Gardens" course. If you have limited knowledge or experience, you are better to study "Irrigation Gardens" first, then follow on with this course.
Expand Your Water Management Skills
Lesson Structure
There are 8 lessons in this course:
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Wastewater and Recycling
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Introduction
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Humans and Water
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Water And Plant Growth
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Minimising Plant Requirements
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Xeriscaping
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Wastewater
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Types Of Water Wastage
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Evaporation
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Seepage
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Runoff
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Overspray
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Scheduling
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Recycling Wastewater
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Wastewater Treatment (Reed-Beds)
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Suitable Plants
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Measuring Water Usage
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Climate
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The Hydrological Cycle
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Infiltration
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Rainfall
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Temperature
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Wind
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Microclimates
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Special Applications
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Measuring Soil Moisture
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Water Monitoring Equipment
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Measuring Water Usage
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Drainage
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Introduction
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Drainage
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Rainfall
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Improving Permeability During Construction
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Cultivation
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Adding Soil Ameliorants
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Chemical Treatments
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Improving Surface Drainage After Construction
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Sand Slitting
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Aerating
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Sub Soiling
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Layout Of Drains
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Herringbone
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Grid
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Outlet
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Gradients
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Distance Between Drainage Pipes
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Depth Of Drains
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Types Of Drains
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Clay Pipes
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Corrugated Plastic
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Fibreglass Strip Drain
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PVC Pipe
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Laying The Drain
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Contingencies To Deal with Flood
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Irrigation Controllers
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Introduction
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Irrigation Controllers
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Controllers
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Automatic Controllers
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Time Clocks
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Computerised Tap Controllers
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Manual Controllers
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Battery Powered Solenoid Valves
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Water Volumes and Duration
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Pumps And Pressure Systems
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Pump Flow
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Pressure
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Types Of Pumps
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Shallow Well Pumps
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Deep Well Pumps
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Pumping Mechanisms
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Piston Pumps
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Centrifugal Pumps
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Turbine Pumps
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When Centrifugal Pump Fails to Operate
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System Maintenance
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Maintenance Of Watering Systems
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Maintenance Procedures and Scheduling
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Maintaining Trickle Irrigation Systems
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Maintaining Water Quality
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How To Improve the Quality of Water from Any Source
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Problems Of Water Quality and Their Remedies
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Physical Impurities
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Chemical Impurities
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Biological Impurities
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Bacteriological Impurities
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Fertigation
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Introduction
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Advantages of Fertigation
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Disadvantages of Fertigation
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Fertigation Types
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Proportional Application
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Quantitative Application
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Continuous Application
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Three Stage Application
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Fertiliser Injectors
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Pump Injectors
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Pressure Differential Injectors
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Suction Injectors
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Fertiliser Applications
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Plant Nursery Fertiliser Injection Techniques
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Design Evaluation
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Design Considerations
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Importance of Design
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Surface/Flood Irrigation
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Sprinkler Irrigation
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Trickle Irrigation
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Microjet Irrigation
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Do It Yourself Micro Irrigation Systems
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Time Length of Watering
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Automatic Systems
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Water Management in Turf
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System Design
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Pre-Planning Information
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What Is the Soil Like?
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Record The Dimensions and Other Measurements
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Consult The Local Council on Relevant By Laws
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Study The Environment of The Locality
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What Resources Are Available to Do the Job?
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What Preferences and Priorities Does the Client or Owner Have?
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Type of System
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Underground Pipes
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Drainage
Aims
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Discuss ways to optimise water efficiency (i.e. minimise wastage), during irrigation of plants.
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Develop irrigation schedule for a large-scale situation such as a large nursery, crop, turf, garden, or pasture.
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Analyse the design of different drainage systems.
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Determine the operation of irrigation controllers and pumps for appropriate tasks.
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Discuss the maintenance of irrigation systems, both small and large scale.
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Discuss the fertigation of plants through an irrigation system.
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Evaluate the design of large scale irrigation systems.
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Design an irrigation system, including its drainage.
What You Will Do
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Contact an enterprise involved in irrigation management. Ask them for information on their water restriction policy. When are water restrictions enforced and how do they affect water users? Focus mainly on the problems experienced by agricultural users. Are there ways that Ag users can minimise their dependence on water access? Write a brief report on your findings and submit with your assignment.
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Visit an agricultural property that uses irrigation. Discuss with the manager the methods that are used to decide when to water and how much water to use. Is irrigation an important element in the success or otherwise of the property? Submit your findings with your assignment.
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Choose a drainage system to which you can get access. Remember a drainage system is designed to cope with most situations. They are many examples in your local everyday environment. Some examples might include the guttering on your house or even on your car. Discuss how the system operates and include sketches to show design features. Submit with your assignment. (No more than one (1) page is required.)
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Contact a number of companies that offer computerised and technology solutions to irrigation. Obtain prices and information if possible on appropriate working installations of their product. If possible try a follow up visit at least one (1) operation and discuss the product with a user as well as a retailer. If distance or transport is a problem then you could try writing for this information, which would be suitable for the purpose of this set task. Send your results in with your next assignment.
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Visit (real or virtual) a farmer or agricultural producer who incorporated irrigation systems. Find sufficient farmers (producers) who use spray, micro, surface and flood systems.
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Enquire about the maintenance of their systems.
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How is water quality monitored and maintained?
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Locate at least two irrigation supply companies.
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Observe how they service customers. Are there any other services they provide?
Water may be renewable, but it is still often in Short Supply
The world's total amount of water has been estimated at 1.35 x 10 to the eighteenth power cubic metres (or 1600 million, million, million litres). Most of this is in a form unsuitable for human use, and there is uneven distribution around the world. About 97.2% is in salty oceans or seas, and about 2.48% is in ice caps or glaciers, aquifers too deep to extract from, in the atmosphere or in topsoil. Only about 0.32% is useable ground or surface water. Of this, 99% is too expensive to get, is in remote areas, or it is polluted. Only about 0.003% of the world's total water supply is usable. This provides about 12 million litres of useable water per person. For example, in the USA (typical of developed nations), the average daily use per person through direct personal use is about 700 litres, through indirect personal use is about 2300 litres, and through indirect agricultural use is about 4000 litres. This equates to a total of about 7000 litres per person per day.
There should be plenty of water for everyone, however three controlling factors: very unequal distribution, rapidly rising demand, and increasing pollution around urban and industrial areas - means that some areas of the planet are already using water at a greater rate than it is being replenished. Taking Australia as an example, this includes parts of the states of Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. Water management will become increasingly important as the world tries to cater for the increasing demand for useable water.
The aim of irrigation management is to re-use water as much as possible, to collect and store as much water as possible, and to ensure that what water you do use is used in an efficient manner.
How Much Irrigation Should You Do?
This is the "big question" for irrigation managers.
It isn't a simple question to manage either; but after doing this course, your ability to answer this question will be far better.
- Different types of plants need different levels of irrigation
- Climate and soil conditions can increase or decrease the need to irrigate
- Availability of water (or lack of) can impact on decisions about irrigation
- The method of irrigation used can have a huge impact upon the quantity and frequency of irrigation needed.
When you understand the dynamics of water in the soil, and in plants; you can make more informed decisions about irrigation. Making informed decisions will allow you to get more from limited water resources, reduce waste, optimise plant growth and maintain your plants in better condition.
It is obviously bad for plants to become so dry that they wilt; but it is equally bad for plants to become so waterlogged that their roots rot.
Wilting point is the point at which the soil is so dry that the plant begins to wilt. Field capacity is the point at which the soil is holding as much water as it can without excess water simply draining away and being lost.
The zone between wilting point and field capacity is important as you aim to keep moisture levels within this zone.
Generally plants take most of their requirements from the upper half of the root zone and as a result only about half of the available water is used. Irrigation is therefore required when approximately half of the available water is used up. The amount of water to be applied to plants is half of the available water in the root zone when the soil is at field capacity.
Irrigation applications are timed according to how quickly the plants use the available moisture. This is dependant on climatic conditions and the availability of nutrients. The rate at which water is supplied by irrigation is important due to soil infiltration rates, or the rate at which water will pass into the soil.
If water is supplied at a rate greater than the ground can absorb it, then runoff may occur resulting in a loss of water.
Opportunities After Study
This course is of most value to people working in:
- Landscaping
- Green keeping & turf care
- Irrigation equipment sales
- Parks & gardens
- Irrigation design and installation
- Garden maintenance
It is also helpful for people looking to start an irrigation business.
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