Disadvantages and Limitedness’s of Sprinkler Irrigation Systems

High costs
Installment and pump costs of sprinkler systems are higher than surface systems in proper agriculture sites.

Operating costs of the pump used for the necessary pressurized water is always expensive.

Limitedness regarding water quality and distribution
It is not economic to use sudden flows without storage and besides little changes in flow may cause problems.

Salty water use may cause some problems due to absorption of this water by the leaves. Besides, high bicarbonate content in irrigation water may influence the fruit quality by making spots on the fruit when over tree sprinkler systems are used. Some water types may have erosive effect on metal pipes of sprinklers.

Environmental and Planning Limitedness
Sprinklers are not adequate for soils with infiltration speed less than 3mm/hr. Windy and over excessive dry conditions cause failure of irrigation performance and relapse in water distribution.

Using sprinkler systems can lower plant quality by leaving drops on leaves causing some plant diseases and leaf burns; affect negatively the pollination biology of plants.

Carrying laterals on wet soil can be hard and cause some problems to arise on the physical properties of the soil.

Nonrectangular lands are inappropriate for especially mechanical sprinkler systems.

Saltiness Problems
Citrus and many fruit trees are sensitive to little quantities of sodium and chlorine. These plants can absorb the mentioned salts’ toxic content with their leaves under dry atmosphere conditions. Values over 70 ppm and 105 ppm of these ions in irrigation water cause damage. During humid periods, for example in irrigation at night, this problem reduces significantly or can be removed totally. On the other hand, under tree irrigations can also be suggested.

Most of the annual plants or grasses are not very sensitive to low quantities of sodium and chlorine. However, these can be more sensitive when irrigated with surface irrigation methods in comparison to what they absorb with their leaves when sprinklers are used.

Damage may happen because of carrying of bad quality water from the laterals by the wind.

Therefore laterals in periodical moving systems used in dry weathers should be moved towards wind in consecutive sets. By this way, salt collected on the leaves by wind can be washed away. Moreover, it is recommended to use sprinklers with one turnaround per minute.

Saltiness guide can be used to reach a standard application after determining allowable saltiness level for different plants, quality of water and soil characteristics.