Subsurface Drip Irrigation

by Richard A. MacKinnon, Civil Engineering Technician
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Dodge City, Kansas

Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) has expanded rapidly in the last five years. Market forces and declining available water are pushing growers to adopt new technologies for their farms as they strive for optimum performance.

The concept of SDI involves placement of drip tubing below ground for the purpose of irrigation. SDI is simple in definition, but many considerations are necessary to ensure a successful installation. Proper design for a specific field is the starting point for success with SDI. The foundation of SDI, or micro-irrigation, benefits is the ability of a micro-irrigation system to apply low volumes of water and nutrients in a highly uniform manner to crops.

Studies by Kansas State University show water savings as great as 25 percent over other methods of surface irrigation. The application of small amounts of water uniformly applied to the root zone is one factor in the reduced water requirement. Another advantage to SDI is that the surface is dry which reduces evaporation and allows the surface to better utilize precipitation. Because the soil is dry on the surface, the management of the system and irrigation scheduling are crucial to realize the savings that are possible.

For more information and assistance with the planning and installation of a SDI system, please contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office or conservation district office located at your local county USDA Service Center.

For more information about NRCS programs, visit the Kansas NRCS Web site at www.ks.nrcs.usda.gov.

This article is also available in Microsoft Word format.

Subsurface Drip Irrigation (DOC; 47 KB)

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Last Modified: 12/11/2008