Sprinkle and Trickle Irrigation

Book excerpt: The design text, Sprinkle and Trickle Irrigation, opens up a new and clear window through which to view the physics, economics, design, and manage ment of pressurized irrigation systems. A broad array of system types and ap plications have been covered in detail to provide for complete understanding of systems design. Topics include soil-water-plant relations, general planning con cepts, hydraulics, economics, sizing, operation, maintenance, and special uses. Pressurized irrigation system types covered include hand-line, wheel-line, solid set, traveler, center-pivot, linear-moving and big-gun-sprinkler systems, pump ing systems, and a broad array of trickle system components. The work in this text culminates earlier major works by Jack Keller on the W. R. Ames Company Irrigation Handbook (1967), Rain Bird Sprinkler Man ufacturing Corp. 's Trickle Irrigation Design (1975), and the USDA-Soil Con servation Service's National Engineering Handbook, Section 15: Irrigation Chapter 11: Sprinkle Irrigation (1983) and Chapter 15: Trickle Irrigation (1984). These earlier works form the foundation upon which the majority of currently used design texts are based. The years of design and troubleshooting experiences of the authors and wide ranges of environments and design appli cations in which they have worked have resulted in the substance and robustness of this text in stated relationships and procedures.