A. Selvaperumal, M. Angaleeswari, Bharathi Sankar Ammaiyappan, E. Sujitha, S. Thangamani5 and G. Giftson Samuel
Abstract
Surge-flow irrigation enhances irrigation efficiency and minimizes water wastage. The setup includes a user-programmable automatic surge valve that adapts to field conditions. This surge valve is cost-effective, portable, and wireless, powered by a rechargeable battery that can be replenished using a solar panel for extended periods of operation. An experimental farm was set up to evaluate the performance of a furrow irrigation system in the Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute in Kumulur, Tamil Nadu. The experimental field consisted of clay loam soil. To regulate the furrow discharge rate, a solenoid valve connected to the gated pipe was utilized, maintaining a constant rate of 3 liters per second. Each measurement was replicated four times (Surge: 1, 2, 3, and 4), with the discharge rate remaining consistent across both methods. The conventional and surge irrigation techniques were employed to automatically irrigate the furrows, with a cycled inflow of 10 minutes ON and 10 minutes OFF, based on the input data provided to the system. The findings indicate that the third surge had the highest advance water front of 115 meters, which can be attributed to the more even water distribution along the furrow and reduced deep percolation losses compared to traditional irrigation methods. On the other hand, the continuous irrigation system had the lowest advance water front of 92.5 m. Surge irrigation notably increased green chili weight (410.00 to 438.00 g) and fruit count per plant (113.00 to 128.00), compared to conventional methods yielding 390.00 g and 90.00 fruits, respectively. Surge irrigation automation significantly boosted green chili yield per hectare (10.16 to 12.27 tons), whereas conventional methods yielded 8.44 tons. Surge flow resulted in faster water advancement along the furrows compared to continuous flow, despite the same discharge and water volume being applied.