6.4.11. Irrigation Methods Most of the surface irrigation methods (Sec. 3.10) yield reasonably high field application efficiency provided the land has been prepared properly and due care has been taken during irrigation. However, the sprinkler method of irrigation and the drip irrigation method seem to be more promising than others in most of the conditions. The methods, however, require much higher initial investment, energy for generating pressure, and silt-free water. If the cost of land preparation and the percolation losses are high, sprinkler irrigation may result in considerable saving of money as well as water. The average cost of a sprinkler irrigation system may be approximately Rs. 15,000 per hectare and can possibly be recovered in about 2 years’ time (22). The drip irrigation method is highly efficient and better suited for fruit crops, vegetables, and cash crops like sugarcane, cotton, groundnut, etc. (23). The cost of drip irrigation system may be around Rs. 30,000 per hectare (22). Table 6.6 compares different irrigation methods and clearly shows the superiority of sprinkler and drip irrigation systems over the surface methods (i.e., flooding, check, basin, border strip, and furrow methods).
