Abstract
Emitter clogging is a persistent problem for drip irrigation using treated effluent. To find an effective flushing regime, research was conducted using two water types (treated effluent and fresh groundwater) with two flushing frequencies (every irrigation event and every five irrigation events) and a control (no flushing). Thin-wall laterals with inline-labyrinth emitters were examined. The irrigation duration was 1 h daily for 91 days. Emitter discharge was monitored. At the end of the study, the mean emitter discharge decreased about 9% in the treated effluent treatment, 7–8% in the fresh water treatment and 13% in the control treatment. Flushing was effective in preventing sediment accumulation, and using fresh water reduced emitter clogging better than using treated effluent. But there were no significant differences between the two flushing frequencies. Flushing with fresh water reduced the calcium and magnesium deposits of the emitter, and the changeable water environment discouraged the bacteria growth. Therefore, when treated effluent is used for drip irrigation, emitter clogging should be controlled by flushing with fresh water every five irrigation events.
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Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant no. QYZDJ-SSW-DQC028), the National Science Foundation for Young Scientists of China (Grant no. 51709251) and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant no. 2016YFC0501304 and 2016YFC0501305).
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Li, N., Kang, Y., Li, X. et al. Lateral flushing with fresh water reduced emitter clogging in drip irrigation with treated effluent. Irrig Sci 37, 627–635 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-019-00637-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-019-00637-3