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Analysis of water application costs with a centre pivot system for irrigation of crops in Spain

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to present a methodology to analyse the main factors that influence annual water application costs in centre pivot irrigation systems and to determine the most cost-effective centre pivot design, given the variables of machine length, lateral pipe diameter, sprinkler type (LEPA and fixed and rotating spray plate sprinklers (FSPS and RSPS)), system capacity, application efficiency, and water and energy costs for the irrigation of crops such as maize under conditions in Spain. Annual water application costs were calculated as the sum of the investment (Ca), energy (Ce), water (Cw), and equipment maintenance costs (Cm). Parameters used to assess the influences on pivot design were system capacity S c = 1.25 L s−1 ha−1; application efficiency Ea = 80% for FSPS, Ea = 85% for RSPS, and Ea = 90% for LEPA; water price P w = 0.06 € m−3 (0.081 US dollars); energy price Ene = 0.10 € kWh−1 (0.135 US dollars); net annual crop irrigation water requirement N n = 7,000 m3 ha−1 year−1; and net daily peak crop water requirement N nmax = 7.63 mm d−1 for maize. Results indicate that for plots smaller than 30 ha, the recommended pipeline diameter is 127.0 mm (5 in); for 30–40 ha, 168.3 mm (6 5/8 in); for 40–75 ha, 219.1 mm (8 5/8 in); and for 75–100 ha, 254.0 mm (10 in). A multidiameter pipe solution only slightly reduced water application costs in most cases studied. It was also determined that water costs and irrigation efficiency have a major influence on the total annual cost of water application; however, system capacity and energy price did not strongly affect total cost. For this reason, water application uniformity is very important and can be accomplished using a proper nozzle package and regular maintenance. The paper helps farmers determine the most cost-effective centre pivot design and management.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (MEC) for funding the AGL2007-66716-C03-03 project. They also wish to thank Aisco Equipment Europe, Ltd., Valmont Irrigation, Albarrain enterprise and the Agro-environmental Training Centre (“Centro de Formación Agroambiental”) in Albacete for their support of this work by providing the products and facilities needed to carry out the experiment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro Regional de Estudios del Agua, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario, s/n, 02071, Albacete, Spain

    J. Montero, A. Martínez, M. Valiente, M. A. Moreno & J. M. Tarjuelo

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  1. J. Montero
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  2. A. Martínez
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  3. M. Valiente
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  4. M. A. Moreno
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  5. J. M. Tarjuelo
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Correspondence to J. M. Tarjuelo.

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Communicated by S. O. Shaughnessy.

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Montero, J., Martínez, A., Valiente, M. et al. Analysis of water application costs with a centre pivot system for irrigation of crops in Spain. Irrig Sci 31, 507–521 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-012-0326-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-012-0326-4

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