With Less Water Available, Irrigation Efficiency is Key

Houston, TX -- (ReleaseWire) -- 09/04/2015 --With severe drought suddenly returning to central Texas, those who rely on crop growing for a living—and the economy that depends on those crops as well—may suffer. As the upper layers of soil dry and crops being to take a turn for the worst, effective farming and irrigation methods must be employed. And for cotton growers, the practice requires an effective irrigation system that's designed to conserve water. At the recent Oklahoma Irrigation Conference in Fort Cobb, Jim Bordovsky, Texas AgriLife Irrigation Research Engineer proposed a four-point plan to improve irrigation efficiency.

The four points of his plan are outlined below:

1. Deliver Water More Efficiently

The first step of Bordovsky's plan involves delivering water more efficiently. To be more specific, subsurface drip irrigation was highlighted as an area that will become more important.

2. Improve Overall Irrigation System Performance

Second, Bordovsky suggested performing overall irrigation system performance by:

- Using appropriate nozzles;
- Adjusting system pressure; and
- Performing regularly maintenance on an irrigation system to ensure productivity.

Maintaining irrigation system pumps and hand pumps is an important component of preventing wasted resources and energy.

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http://www.protekspecialty.com/pumps.html

3. Utilization of Evapotranspiration

Evapotranspiration is the measurement of water necessary for plant growth, factoring in factors such as quantity of water transpired from a plant, temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, etc. Evapotranspiration can be effectively used to schedule irrigation, ensuring that no water is ever wasted.

4. Change Practice Limitations for Non-water Production

Randy Boman, the research director for Oklahoma State University, as well as the State extension cotton leader, was quoted as saying that, "the variety [of cotton] selected can make a significant difference," on irrigation efficacy.

In addition to the four tips for improve irrigation efficiency named above, (cotton) farmers should also consider the type of irrigation systems they're using, as some irrigation systems—such as LEPA sprinklers—may significantly improve water conservation and irrigation efficiency efforts. With water shortages nationwide, conserving water in terms of farming is more important than ever before.

About PROTEK SPECIALITY CO
PROTEK SPECIALITY CO is a Houston-based company that specializes in manufacturing equipment intended for use in the oil and irrigation industries. Started in 1946, Protek Specialty Co. has nearly 70 years in the primping, pumps, and oilfield parts manufacturing business.