Irrigation and Water Engineering

Irrigation and Water Engineering

Evaluation of the Performance of Drip Irrigation Systems in Pistachio Orchards (Study Area: Pistachio Orchards Covered by the SIMAB Project in Kerman Province)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Ph.D. in irrigation and drainage, an expert in charge of Simab irrigation department, The Union of Rural Production Cooperative Companies of Kerman Province
2 Senior expert of water structures, technical expert of Simab irrigation department, The Union of Rural Production Cooperative Companies of Kerman Province.
3 Senior expert in irrigation and drainage, water and soil management, and technical and engineering affairs of Jihad Agriculture of Kerman province.
4 Ph.D. in entomoly, technical expert of Simab, The Union of Rural Production Cooperative Companies of Kerman Province, Iran
10.22125/iwe.2025.450605.1799
Abstract
In Kerman province, excessive extraction of underground water has led to a decrease in the quantity and quality of water, resulting in severe water shortages. As a response, farmers have adopted drip irrigation systems to mitigate the effects of insufficient irrigation. these drip irrigation systems is essential to enhance and modify their implementation. This research assessed 15 drip irrigation systems utilized in pistachio orchards as a part of the SIMAB project in Kerman. The assessment aimed to understand the management status of these systems by measuring various parameters including the pressure and flow rate of the drippers, the condition of the irrigation network and the central control station, and the amount of water consumed. A face-to-face interview was also conducted with farmers. According to the results, the average values for the drippers' flow rate (qm), the emission uniformity coefficient (EU), the statistical uniformity coefficient (SU), the potential efficiency of the lower quartile (PELQs), the efficiency reduction factor (ERF), and the application efficiency of the low quarter (AELQ) in the evaluated systems were 3.9 liters per hour, 83.3%, 85.7%, 67.1%, 90%, and 74.3%, respectively. These results indicate that the irrigation systems in this region are in good condition. In general, the main reasons for the decrease in the optimal performance of drip irrigation systems in this area may include the lack of knowledge in using the system, clogging of drippers due to low-quality irrigation water, inadequate and untimely washing of sand and disc filters, and low pressure within the systems.
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