AGEN 203: DRAINAGE AND INTRODUCTION

IRRIGATION ENGINEERING
COURSE GOALS

This course has two specific goals:

(i) To introduce students to basic concepts
of soil, water, plants, their interactions, as
well as irrigation and drainage systems
design, planning and management.
(ii) To develop analytical skills relevant to the
areas mentioned in (i) above, particularly the
design of irrigation and drainage projects.
COURSE OUTLINE

Basic Soil-Plant-Water Relations

Irrigation Water Requirements
Sources, quantity and quality of irrigation water
Irrigation planning, scheduling and efficiencies
Design of irrigation systems and structures
Design of drainage systems and structures.
Computer applications and simulation
modeling.
 COURSE OBJECTIVES
After completion of this course, students must be able
to:
(i) Understand the basic soil-plant-water parameters
related to irrigation;
(ii) Discuss the importance and purposes of irrigation and
drainage for sustainable agriculture;
(iii) Solve the crop water requirements including water losses
in the field;
(iv) Apply the design and performance evaluation of
irrigation and drainage systems;
(v) Conduct survey on the legal aspects of water use for
irrigation and drainage water disposal; and
(vi) Perform water pumping test to determine the aquifer
characterization.
COURSE ASSESSMENT

(i) Three (3) Major Exams (Prelim, Midterm,

Final)
(ii) One (1) Major Project (Prototype Irrigation
and Drainage System)
 One (1) group for surface irrigation system

 One (1) group for subsurface irrigation

system
(iii) laboratory report, quizzes, assignment, oral
recitation/boardwork
 READING MATERIALS
1. Chin, D.A.. (2000). Water Resources Engineering, Prentice
Hall, New Jersey.
2. James, L.G. (1988). Principles of Farm Irrigation System
Design. John Wiley, New York.
3. ISRAELSEN, O.W. et al. Irrigation principles and practices,
John Wiley and Sons, 4th edition. 1987
4. RICHEY, C.B., et al. Agricultural engineering handbook,
McGraw-Hill
5. ZIMMERMAN, J. 1966. Irrigation, John Wiley and Sons
6. CIGR Handbook in Agricultural Engineering. Vol 1 1998
7. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, American
Society of Civil Engineers
8. Philippine Agricultural Engineering Standards (PAES)
 1.1 Irrigation is the application
of water to the soil to
supplement natural precipitation
and provide an environment that
is optimum for crop production.

AGEN 203: DRAINAGE AND INTRODUCTION

IRRIGATION ENGINEERING
WHY WE IRRIGATE?

To Supply Water To Facilitate continuous

Partially or Totally for cropping
Crop Need To Enhance Fertilizer
To Cool both the Soil Application- Fertigation
and the Plant
To Leach Excess Salts
To improve
Groundwater storage
TO UNDERSTAND IRRIGATION, ONE NEEDS
KNOWLEDGE OF:
Basic Soil Hydraulics
Science/Physics - concerned with the conveyance of
liquids through pipes and channels,
Plants especially as a source of mechanical
force or control.
Water Hydrology
Plant/Soil/Water General Engineering
Relations Principles
1.2 SOIL CONSTITUENTS

Mineral Material: Sand, clay and silt

Organic Matter - very valuable
Water
Air
PROPORTIONS OF SOIL CONSTITUENTS

20%

45% MINERALS
OM
Water
Air
30%
5%
MINERAL COMPONENTS

Except in the case of organic soils, most of

a soil’s solid framework consists of mineral
particles.
They are variable in size and composition.
They can vary from small rock particles to
colloids.
MINERAL COMPONENT CONTD .

The mineral can be raw quartz and other

primary materials – coarse fractions which
have not changed from parent material).

 They can also be silicate clays and iron

oxides formed by the breakdown and
weathering of less resistant minerals as soil
formation progressed. These are called
secondary minerals.
MINERAL CONSTITUENTS
USDA ISSS

ROCKS > 2 mm > 2 mm

SAND 0.05 to 2 mm 0.02 to 2 mm

SILT 0.002 to 0.05 0.002 to 0.02

mm mm
CLAY < 0.002 mm < 0.002 mm

USDA – United States Department of Agriculture

ISSS – International Society of Soil Science
SAND COMPONENT

 Visible to the Naked Eye and Vary in Size.

 They are Gritty when rubbed between
Fingers.
 Sand Particles do not Adhere to one
another and are therefore not Sticky.
SILT AND CLAY COMPONENTS

Silt Particles are smaller than sand. The

silt particles are too small to be seen without
a microscope. It feels smooth but not sticky,
even when wet.

Clays are the smallest class of mineral

particles. They adhere together to form a
sticky mass when wet and form hard clods
when dry.
1.3 SOIL TEXTURE

Relative proportions of the various soil

separates (sand, silt and clay) in a soil.
 Terms such as sandy loam, silty clay, and
clay loam are used to identify soil texture.
Soil Components are separated using
Mechanical Analysis, Sieving for Sand and
Rate of Settling in Pipette for Silt and Clay.
SOIL TEXTURE CONTD.
From the mechanical analysis, the proportions of
sand, silt and clay are obtained.
The actual soil texture is determined using the Soil
Textural Triangle e.g. for a Soil with 50% sand,
20% silt and 30% clay, the texture is Sandy Clay
Loam.
Arranged in the increasing order of heaviness,
there are 12 soil textures namely: sand, loamy
sand, sandy loam, loam, silt loam, silt, sandy clay
loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, sandy clay, silty clay
and clay.
EXAMPLE
Determine the type of soil if the compositions are the following: 24%
silt, 31% clay and 45% sand.
1.4 COLLOIDAL MATERIAL

The smaller particles (< 0.001 mm) of clay

and similar sized organic particles) have
colloidal properties and can be seen with an
electronic microscope.
The colloidal particles have a very large area
per unit weight so there are enough surface
charges to which water and ions can be
attracted. These charges make them adhere
together. Humus improves the water holding
capacity of the soil.
1.5 WATER
Quantity of water in a soil as determined by its
moisture content does not give a true indication
of the soil ‘wetness’.
A clay soil, which on handling feels dry, can be
at the same moisture content as a sandy soil,
which feels wet.
A plant will have less difficulty extracting water
from a sandy soil than from a clay soil at the
same moisture content.
SOIL WATER CONTD.

There is need for a soil ‘wetness’ which

reflects the ease or difficulty of extraction of
water from the soil by the plant.
The Concept of Soil Water Potential is therefore
used in Soil/Plant/Water Relations
1.5.1. MECHANISM OF SOIL WATER
MOVEMENT
The flow of water in any hydraulic system,
including the soil-plant-water system, takes
place from a state of higher to one of lower
potential energy.
The steepness of the potential gradient from
one point in the system reflects the ease with
which water will flow down the potential
gradient between the points.
1.5.2 COMPONENTS OF SOIL
WATER POTENTIAL
As in any other hydraulic system, the
total potential (or total hydraulic head) in the
soil-water system is made up of a number of
distinguishable components. Some of these
are as follows:
i ) Gravitational Potential: Reflects
gravitational forces on the soil water.
COMPONENTS OF SOIL WATER
POTENTIAL CONTD.
ii) Pressure Potential: This is positive when
greater than atmospheric pressure, and
negative when below atmospheric.

A negative pressure potential (or tension, or

suction) is also known as the matric potential.

It is characteristic of soil water above a free

water surface.
COMPONENTS OF SOIL WATER
POTENTIAL CONTD.

iii) Osmotic Potential: reflects the effect of

solutes in soil water, in the presence of a semi-
permeable membrane

The total potential of soil water at a point is the

sum of all the components of potential, which
are acting. Note that the movement of water in
the soil is slow, so kinetic energy is neglected.
1.5.3 SOIL WATER
POTENTIAL AND SOIL
WATER CONTENT:
If a water pressure less that atmospheric
(usually referred to as suction) is applied to a
saturated soil, some water will drain off until
equilibrium is reached.
At this state of equilibrium, the total potential of
the soil water relative to a free water surface at
the same elevation will be negative. Its value is
known as the soil suction or matric suction since
it is equal to the negative pressure potential of
the soil water.
SOIL WATER POTENTIAL
AND SOIL WATER
CONTENT CONTD.
As the pressure potential is reduced ( i.e.
suction increased) more water is removed
from the soil.
The relationship between suction and actual
water content is referred to as soil water
characteristic.
Soil Water Potential is normally measured by
tensiometers (matric potential), hanging
water column (sand box) and pressure
chamber.
1.5.4 METHODS OF MEASURING SOIL
WATER CONTENT

i) By Feel: This is by far the easiest

method. Assessment by feel is good for
experienced people who have sort of
calibrated their hands. The type of soil is
important.
ii) Gravimetric Method: This is equal to:
Mw Mass of Water
Pm  
M s Mass of Dry Solids
GRAVIMETRIC METHOD CONTD.

Weigh wet soil in a container, put in oven at 105 oC for about

48 hours; weigh again and obtain the weight of water by
subtraction. A good soil should have moisture contents
between 5 and 60% and for peat or organic soils, it can be
greater than 100%.
METHODS OF MEASURING SOIL
WATER CONTENT CONTD.
(iii) Volumetric water content, Pv. This is equal to:

Vw Volume of Water
Pv  
Vs Va Vw Total Volume of Undisturbed Soil Sample
Recall that volume = mass/density i.e.

Mw
Dw Mw
Pv  and Pv  x D sin ce Dw 1
Ms Ms b
D
b
Pv  Pm x D where D is the bulk density of the soil
b b
SOIL BULK DENSITY
Bulk Density, Db is defined as the mass of a unit
volume of dry soil.
This includes both solids and pores.
i.e. bulk density = Ms/V ;
Ms is the mass of dry soil and V is the total volume
of undisturbed soil.
The major method of measuring bulk density in the
field is to collect a known volume of undisturbed soil
(V) in a soil core, and drying it in the oven to
remove all the water to obtain Ms.
 METHODS OF MEASURING SOIL WATER
CONTENT
(iv) Neutron Probe: It consists of a probe lowered down a hole in the soil.
A box (rate meter or rate scalar) is at the top.
Within the probe is a radioactive source e.g. beryllium (435 years life span).
Close to the source is a detector.
The source emits fast neutrons, some of which are slowed down when they collide
with water molecules (due to hydrogen molecules).
A cloud of slow neutrons (thermal neutrons) build up near the probe and are
registered by the rate meter or rate scalar which measures the number of slowed
down neutrons.
1.5.5 METHODS OF
MEASURING SOIL WATER
SUCTION
i) Electrical Resistance Unit: This consists of a porous
body with two electrodes embedded into it.
The porous body when buried equilibrates with the soil water
and the readings are obtained through the resistance meters
attached to the electrodes.
Resistance units are measured and the instrument needs to be
calibrated against matric suction or volumetric moisture content
(Pv).
Various porous bodies needed are gypsum, nylon or fibreglass.
The instrument is relatively cheap but it takes a long time to
equilibrate or react e.g. 48 hours. The method is insensitive in
wet soils <0.5 bars. It measures from 0.5 to 15 bars and
more.
ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE UNIT

Figure 1.4 Portable meter and resistance blocks used to measure

soil moisture.
(Courtesy Industrial Instrument, Inc.)
METHODS OF MEASURING
SOIL WATER SUCTION
CONTD.
ii) Tensiometer: Tensiometer operates on the principle that a
partial vacuum is developed in a closed chamber when water
moves out through the porous ceramic tip to the surrounding.
A vacuum gauge or a water or mercury manometer can
measure the tension. The gauge is usually calibrated in
centibars or millibars.
After the porous cup is put in the soil, the tensiometer is
filled with water. Water moves out from the porous tip to the
surrounding soil (as suction is more in the soil). A point is
reached when the water in the tensiometer is at equilibrium
with the soil water. The reading of the gauge is then taken and
correlated to moisture content using a calibration curve.
SOURCES FOR IRRIGATION
Surface Water Sources
1. Lakes
2. Rivers
3. Streams
4. Drainage ditches
5. Private ponds
GROUNDWATER SOURCES

Shallow Horizontal
suction suction
Deep Shallow wells wells
wells wells
THANK YOU!