How To Choose An Irrigation System

How to choose an irrigation system for your crop is a key consideration in commercial farming. The right system guarantees yield, efficiency, environmental preservation, and profitability. Grekkon Limited makes daily field visits to farmers in Kenya training them on how to choose an irrigation system

Below, we share our key considerations when we visit growers

How To Choose An Irrigation System In Kenya

There are various types of irrigation methods to consider based on these key considerations:

1. Budget

• Drip irrigation systems and the center pivot are expensive to install
• Overhead irrigation is more affordable

Cost of irrigation per acre in Kenya

i. Drip irrigation

– 3 drip lines per bed for onion, garlic, strawberry, and herbs. Kes 140,000

-2 drip lines per acre for tomato, peppers, brassicas. Kes 120,000

-1 drip line per bed for watermelon, butternut. Kes 80,000

These vegetable drip lines have a 0.3mm – 0.4mm wall thickness

A button drip irrigtaion system

Button drippers or online drippers for fruits. Kes 45,000 to Kes 75,000 depending on the fruit type spacing

– A drip line with a wall thickness of 0.8mm – 1mm for hedges and orchards. Kes 85,000

Pre-perforated drip irirgation lines on a farm

ii. Overhead irrigation

–Pop-up sprinklers. Kes 150,000

–Rain gun or Meganet or Impact sprinklers. From Kes 50,000

–Rain hose kit. Kes 55,000

2. Crop type

• Solanaceous crops such as; tomato, pepper, potato, brinjals, and other Asian vegetables. With wet leaves, fungal diseases occur. The same goes for export green beans, Use a drip irrigation system for these.
• Leafy vegetables such as brassicas (cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli) do well with both overhead irrigation or drip irrigation. Overhead irrigation will be either through sprinklers or the rain hose irrigation kit. In the hot months when diamond black moth and aphid pest attacks occur, overhead irrigation controls these pests 
  

  A lawn pop up sprinkler in a garden

• Tree crops will use overhead or drip irrigation. For drip irrigation, button drippers are most ideal. For overhead irrigtaion, micro-sprinklers are the best
• Carrot, coriander, and African traditional vegetables. Work the rain hose kit in such densely spaced crops
• Lawn grass. Install Pop up sprinklers

 A newly installed plastic impact sprinkler irrigation system by Grekkon Limited in Msambweni area, Kwale county

3. Crop Stage of Growth

• Nurseries. Irrigation for tree or vegetable nurseries is by overhead irrigation through sprinklers or a rain hose kit
• Mature crops will work with the other options based on crop type

4. Water availability

• Overhead irrigation. The use of sprinkler irrigation systems, center pivots, or rain hose kits. There will be a permanent, and plentiful source of water
• Drip irrigation kit. When there is a need to conserve water

5. Land topography

While drip irrigation is easy to use on flat terrain, it is more difficult steep sloping land

6. Climate

Local weather patterns, including temperature and rainfall, will influence how much water your plants need and which irrigation system is most efficient. In extremely hot locations or weather, drip irrigation is best as it has the least losses to evaporation. Where humidity is low, and needs to be upped for better crop production, then overhead irrigation is preferred

7. Soil type

A rain hose irrigtaion system in an onion nursery in Chaka area, Nyeri county

How To Choose An Irrigation System FAQs

a. What are the different types of irrigation systems? farrow irrigation, drip irrigation, sub-surface irrigtaion, and overhead irrigation

b. Which irrigation system is best? the one that meets the considerations listed in 1-5 above

c. What are the 4 main irrigation methods? manual irrigation, drip irrigation, sub-surface irrigation, and overhead irrigation