Evaluation of a Novel Sprinkler Irrigation System (Darbasti) and Its Comparison with Common Sprinkler Irrigation Systems: Investigating the Impact on Alfalfa Water Productivity

Abstract

With the objective of enhancing the performance of sprinkler irrigation systems, a novel sprinkler irrigation system, the Darbasti irrigation system, was conceived and implemented. The current study evaluates and compares the effectiveness of movable sprinkler solid-set, center-pivot, and Darbasti irrigation systems in alfalfa cultivation in Saveh, situated in the central plain of Iran. Key performance metrics, including distribution uniformity (DU), coefficient of uniformity (CU), application efficiency of the low quarter (AELQ), and water productivity (WP), were determined for each irrigation system in 2018 and 2019 following the third, fourth, and fifth harvests. The results indicate that the average CU of the Darbasti irrigation system in the first and second years was 82.39% and 84.75%, respectively. The DU for Darbasti, center-pivot, and solid-set sprinkler irrigation systems in the first and second years was 75.38% and 77.66%, 74.56% and 75.99%, and 30.16% and 33.26%, respectively. This indicates excellent performance for Darbasti and center-pivot irrigation systems, but poor performance for the solid-set sprinkler irrigation system. Furthermore, the AELQ index showed no significant difference in the first and second years for Darbasti and center-pivot irrigation systems, while a sharp decrease in this index in the solid-set sprinkler irrigation system revealed a significant difference compared to the other two systems. According to the results, water productivity for Alfalfa in Darbasti, solid-set sprinkler and center-pivot irrigation systems in the first and second years was 2.28 kg/m3 and 2.43 kg/m3, 1.08 kg/m3 and 1.15 kg/m3, and 2.27 kg/m3 and 2.3 kg/m³, respectively.