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Surface methods and furrow irrigation

Short answer

Surface methods: wild flooding, border strip, check basin, furrow. Sub-surface: natural and artificial. Furrow irrigation runs water in small channels between crop rows, wetting part of surface. Suitable for row crops (maize, potato, sugarcane) on medium/heavy soils with gentle slopes, efficiency 50-65%.

Write the different methods of surface and sub-surface irrigation and explain furrow irrigation with their suitability.

Methods of surface irrigation

  • Wild (free) flooding
  • Border strip
  • Check basin
  • Ring basin (orchards)
  • Furrow

Methods of sub-surface irrigation

  • Natural sub-irrigation (high water table, canal seepage)
  • Artificial sub-irrigation (open ditches or perforated pipes below the root zone)

Furrow irrigation

Water runs in small channels (furrows) between rows of the crop and soaks sideways and downwards. Only part of the surface (about 1/3 to 1/2) is wetted.

  ridge  furrow  ridge  furrow  ridge
  /\_____/\_____/\_____/\
   crop   ~~water~~  crop
  head ditch ======================>

Types: straight, contour (curved) furrows, corrugations (small), and level or graded furrows.

Design points: furrow length 60-300 m (shorter for sandy soil), spacing 0.5-1.0 m according to crop and soil, slope 0.2-3% (usually 0.5%), stream size to reach the end without erosion.

Suitability

  • Row crops: maize, potato, sugarcane, cotton, vegetables.
  • Medium to heavy soils; sandy soils need short furrows.
  • Gentle slopes; not on very flat clay (waterlogging) or steep land without contouring.

Advantages: water does not touch the plant stem, less crusting, good aeration, efficiency 50-65%. Disadvantages: needs levelling and labour; some deep percolation at the head and runoff at the tail.

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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