MODULAR ACTIVITY

IRRIGATION EFFICIENCIES

1. A 45 m3 of water was pumped into a farm distribution system while 38 m3 of

water is delivered to a field which is 2 km from the well. Compute the water
conveyance efficiency, Ec (%).
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Solve for: Ec = �100
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2. Delivery of 10 m3/s to a 32 ha farm is continued for 4 hours. Soil probing after

irrigation indicates that 30 cm of water has been stored in the root zone.
Compute the water application efficiency, Ea %.
Conversion: 1 hour = 3,600 s; 1 m = 100 cm; 1 ha = 10,000 m2
Total volume of water applied, m3 = Water delivered x No of hours
Total water stored in root zone,m3 = depth of water stored in root zone x area
Water stored in the root zone
Solve for: Ea = Volume of water applied
x 100

3. Calculate the farm conveyance efficiency, Ec % and field water application

efficiency, Ea % when a stream of 95 l/s received at the farm gate after being
delivered from a canal delivered 72 l/s to the field. During irrigation to wheat
crop for 8 h, 350 and 158 m3 of water respectively were lost by run-off and
deep percolation.
Conversion: 1m3 = 1000L; 1 hour = 3600 s
Solve for the following:
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a. Ec = ����� �������� �� �ℎ� ���� ���� �100

b. Water lost during irrigation, L = run-off loss + deep percolation loss

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Water delivered to the field, L = ���������� ����

Water stored in the root zone, L = water delivered to the field - water lost during
irrigation
Therefore,
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Ea = ����� ��������� �� �ℎ� �����
�100
4. In an irrigation experiment based on IW/CPE ratio (Irrigation
water/Cumulative pan evaporation ratio) on rapeseed crop the following data
were collected. Calculate the seasonal consumptive use and water use
efficiency of the crop .
Irrigation Depth of Effective Soil water use Seed yield
treatment irrigation rainfall (cm) (kg/ha)
(IW/CPE applied (cm) received (cm) (d) (e)
ratio) (a) (b) (c)
0.3 5 3.05 2.31 452
0.5 10 3.05 2.10 688
0.7 15 3.05 1.95 778
0.9 20 3.05 1.55 801
Solve for the following:
Consumptive use by the crop = Irrigation applied + effective rainfall received +
soil water use
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Water use efficiency = ����������� ��� �� �ℎ� ����

Irrigation Consumptive use Seed yield (kg/ha) Water use

treatement (cm) (f) efficiency (kg
(IW/CPE ratio) seeds/ha-cm of
b+c water)
�
�
0.3 452
0.5 688
0.7 788
0.9 801
 5. A stream of 135 liters per second was diverted from a canal and 100 liters per
second were delivered to the field. An area of 1.6 hectares was irrigated in 8
hours. The effective depth of root zone was 1.8 m, the runoff loss in the field
was 432 m3. The depth of water penetration varied linearly from 1.8 m at the
head end of the field to 1.2 m at the tail end. Available moisture holding
capacity of the soil is 20 cm per meter depth of soil. Determine the water
conveyance efficiency (Ec, %), water application efficiency (Ea, %), water
storage efficiency (Es, %) and water distribution efficiency (Ed, %).
Irrigation was started at a moisture extraction level of 50 percent of the
available moisture.
Conversion: 1 hour = 3600 s; 1m3 = 1000L; 1m = 100 cm; 1 ha = 10,000 m2
Solve for the following:
a. Water conveyance efficiency, %
�� ����� ��������� �� �ℎ� �����
�� = �100 = �100
�� ����� �������� ���� � �����

b. Water application efficiency, %

�� ����� ������ �� �ℎ� ���� ����
�� = �100 = �100
�� ����� ��������� �� �ℎ� ����
Water delivered to the plot, m3 = water delivered to the field x irrigation
duration
3
Water stored in the root zone, m = water delivered to the plot - runoff loss in the
field
c. Water storage efficiency
�� ����� ������ �� �ℎ� ���� ����
�� = �100 =
�� �������� �������� �� �ℎ� ���� ����
Water holding capacity of the zone, cm = available moisture holding capacity
(cm/m) x depth of water penetration at the head end (m)
Moisture required in the root zone, m3 = water holding capacity of the zone -
[water holding capacity of the zone x moisture extraction level (in decimal)]
x area
d. Water distribution efficiency
�
�� = 1 − �100
�
depth of water penetration at the head end + depth of water penetration at the tail end
� (�) =
2
Numerical deviation from depth of penetration:
(a)At upper end, m = depth of water penetration at the head end - d
(b)At lower end, m = d - depth of water penetration at the tail end
Average numerical deviation, m
� + �
�=
2
6. An area of 2.8 ha of maize crop was irrigated by a stream of 72 l/s for 8 hours.
The irrigation was applied at 50% soil water depletion. The available water
holding capacity of the soil was 16 cm per meter depth. A soil water estimation
2 days after an irrigation when the soil sampling in the field could be done,
showed that the 2.8 ha of maize stored 18.24 cm depth of water in the 90 cm
root zone or 18.24 ha-cm. Estimate the water application (Ea, %) and water
storage efficiencies (Es, %).
Conversion: 1 m = 100 cm; 1 ha = 10,000 m2; 1 hour = 3600 s; 1m3 = 1000L
Solve for the following:
Available water holding capacity of the root zone, cm = available water holding
capacity (cm/m) x depth of water in root zone
Net depth of irrigation required to wet the root zone of 1 ha area, cm = available
water holding capacity of the root zone x % water
depletion (in decimal)
Water needed in the root zone, m3 = net depth of irrigation required to wet the
root zone of 1 ha area x area
Water stored in the root zone, m3 = depth of water stored in the root zone (ha-
1m
cm) x 100 cm
= ________ ha − m x 104
Then,
����� ������ �� �ℎ� ���� ����
Es = ����� ������ �� �ℎ� ���� ���� �100
Water delivered to the farm, m3 = water delivered to the farm x irrigation
duration
����� ������ �� �ℎ� ���� ����
Ea = ����� ��������� �� �ℎ� �����
�100

7. Determine the water distribution efficiency (Ed, %) in a 150 m long border

strip when the soil sampling after an irrigation at 25 m intervals along the
water run showed that the effective depth of water penetration in the 90 cm
root zone were 90, 90, 85, 82, 82 and 80 cm.
Solve for the following:
��������� �� �ℎ� ��������� ����ℎ �� ����� �����������
(A) Mean depth of penetration, cm = 6
(B)Numerical deviation of the observed depths of penetration from the mean
depth (values taken as positive), cm = (90 - A) + (90 - A) +(85 -A)
+ (82 - A) + (82 -A) + (80 - A)
�
Mean numerical deviation = 6
Therefore,
Mean numerical deviation
Ed = 100 1 − A
8. The depths of penetration along the length of a border strip at points 30 m
apart were proved. There observed values are 2 m, 1.9 m, 1.8 m, 1.6 m and 1.5
m. Compute the water distribution efficiency (Ed, %).
Solve for the following:
�
Water distribution efficiency (Ed) = 1 − � �100
Where, d= average length
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d, m= 5
And y = average numerical deviation
1
y, m = 2 − d + 1.9 − d + 1.8 − d + d − 1.6 + d − 1.5
5