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  • Introduzione

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  • Sub-surface irrigation system

    The sub-surface irrigation system allows to save more than 30% of irrigation water for forage crops (no evaporation from the soil surface ) and increase the production by 25% in comparison with surface irrigation with no pathogen contaminations.

    The system has been tested and assessed by the National Agricultural Research Center in Ar-Ramtha (Irbid), Jordan in the framework of the internation project "Non-conventionAl WAter Reuse in Agriculture in MEditerranean Countries" (MENAWARA).

    The sub-surface irrigation system consists of a network of polyethylene pipes located just (20-25 cm for alfalfa crops) under the ground's surface to apply disinfected effluent in the root zone of plants.

    In the framework of the MENAWARA project, four irrigation methods (surface, drip, sub-surface and sprinkler) have been investigated on alfalfa quantity and quality using treated wastewater under semi-arid conditions.

    The source of irrigation water was the domestic treated wastewater effluent from Ramtha Secondary Wastewater Treatment Plant (RWTP). The treated wastewater connected to the experimental site via the main polyethylene irrigation line (75mm) and was filtered through sand and disc filters after reaching the experimental site and before being used.

    The test concluded that subsurface irrigation might be adapted as an efficient irrigation method under the above condition. Results also pointed to a high risk of pathogens using sprinkler and surface irrigation methods. Alfalfa productivity was among the lowest using sprinkler irrigation. Then farmers might be switching to sprinkler use considering only the easiest management practices, mainly forage harvesting.

    The fresh and dry yield of alfalfa irrigated by Reused Wastewater varied significantly among the investigated irrigation methods. Results showed that the highest fresh yield was obtained from surface and subsurface irrigation, and the least significant fresh yield was obtained from sprinkler irrigation.

    Even though surface irrigation gave the highest yield without a significant difference in comparison with subsurface irrigation, subsurface irrigation allows plants to make better use of the water through the application of water at the root zone; it also reduces deep percolation, evaporation, and surface run-off (Rawashdeh et al., 2021). 

    An higher alfalfa fresh yield production has been achieved when using Reuse Wastewater (RWW)in comparison with fresh water which might be related to the nutrient enrichment in the RWW, primarily the nitrogen. Using wastewater increased the production per unit area and subsequently increased the elements’ concentration in both soil and plants (Nafchi, 2017).

    The results of the alfalfa dry yield indicated that the subsurface and drip irrigation methods significantly increase the dry yield compared with surface and sprinkler irrigation.Neither E. coli nor FC was detected on the alfalfa leaves when using subsurface irrigation. However, high E. coli and FC counts were present on the leaves irrigated by sprinkler and also in the lower part of the plants when surface irrigation was used. This indicates a high risk of pathogen presence in sprinkler and surface irrigation methods with this quality of water.

    Using sub-surface irrigation will reduce the cost and efforts for removing and reinstalling the drip irrigation network before and after crop harvesting for alfalfa crops, also the farmers can do all agricultural practices during irrigation.

    Field application

    The sub-surface irrigation system can be used for forages, vegetable crops, and trees with different water quality

    Beneficiaries

    1-    Farmers 

    2-    Irrigation water managers

    3-    Private sector( irrigation water companies)

    4-    Water user associations

    5-    Extension agents

    Preliminary knowledge required (if any)

    1. Water quality and quantity

    3. Crop type, planting spacing

    5. soil depth, slope, infiltration rate, and texture

    References/online resources

    https://www.bpinventory.com/best-practice/sub-surface-irrigation-system-subsurface-irrigation-uses-network-polyethylene-pipes

    https://www.menawara.eu/course/view.php?id=20

    1.     Almarshadi, M. H., & Ismail, S. M. (2011). Effects of precision irrigation on productivity and water use efficiency of alfalfa under different irrigation methods in arid climates. Journal of Applied Sciences Research, 7(3), 299-308.

    2.     Ibrahim, M. N. (2019). Effluent quality assessment of selected wastewater treatment plant in Jordan for irrigation purposes: water quality index approach. Journal of Ecological Engineering, 20(10).

    3.     Nafchi, R. A. (2017). Evaluation of wastewater quality compared to well water in irrigation. Open Journal of Ecology, 7(4), 271-278.

    4.     Rawashdeh, R. N., Abu-Awwad, A. M., & Tabbaa, M. J. (2021). Impact of Treated Wastewater on Soil and Crops Irrigated Using Drip and Sprinkler Systems. Jordan Journal of Agricultural Sciences 17(2).

    5.     Yang, H., An, F., Yang, F., & Wang, Z. (2019). The impact of irrigation on yield of alfalfa and soil chemical properties of saline-sodic soils. PeerJ, 7, e7148.

    Contacts

    Naem Mazahrih
    📧naemmaz@ncare.gov.jo

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