Irrigation systems are designed to distribute a predetermined amount of water over a specific area. Applicators operate within a specific range of flows and pressures. Because pressure affects flow, pressure regulators are used, so applicators run at the designed operating pressure to help assure delivery of the designed application rate. All systems experience pressure fluctuations. Some of the causes include elevation changes within the irrigated area; pressure loss through pipes and fittings; fluctuations when zones cycle on or off; system demand change on large projects with multiple wells providing water; and activation of end guns and corner arms on mechanized systems

Filter systems have changed considerably over the last few decades. Furthermore, the popularity of these devices occurred simultaneously with the increased use of irrigation systems in agriculture and parks and gardens and with the emergence of localised irrigation systems, in particular. With the flow rates used in the emitters always being low and the quality of the water worsening while the water levels are dropping and the temperatures of the aquifers rising (forced by climate change…), these systems have faced enormous challenges and this pressure has logically led to profound changes. We are also proposing to carry out a comprehensive assessment of these systems and the way they have evolved over the last few years, so as to take a look at the current situation of the solutions that are most popular in France and, above all, worldwide

Because a centre pivot works automatically and is very reliable means that the farmer may forget that there are certain maintenance operations to be carried out. The farmer should not forget to carry out an annual maintenance program.

The emergence of agriculture represented an important, and possibly the most significant, milestone in the development of human civilization, as it gave rise to the Neolithic Revolution. The availability of water is the most decisive factor for the growing of crops and civilizations evolved along the banks of rivers or in areas with enough rainfall to cover the needs of the first crops. 

It was agricultural plastic film in 2009; followed by the twine and net wrap used on round bales in 2013, then anti-hail netting in 2015, and now the agricultural plastic recovery sector has a scheme for used flexible irrigation tubes or drip tapes. This scheme operates according to the principle of shared responsibility and we will see in this article how all the players (manufacturers, traders, distributers and farmers) have worked together and set up a national scheme open to all farmers since January 2019.

The pivot is a mechanised irrigation system that irrigates in a circular manner (full rotation) or in sections. It generally moves around a fixed central point but it can be designed to be towed from one pivot point to another or from one field to another. The pivot system has a number of spans consisting of a tube supported by a truss and a motorised tower that move around a central unit, which acts as an intake for the water and electricity supply.

The world around us is changing. Change has always been a part of this planet, but recently the rate at which change occurs has been accelerating. Extreme weather phenomena, such as tsunamis, earthquakes and floods are becoming more and more common. Many researchers are focusing on climate change and its effects. Scientists now know how to explain these phenomena, at least in part, but we are still unable to fully predict events such as heat waves and heavy rains.

The climate change makes things more difficult with the weather conditions becoming more and more unpredictable, including the frost, which is one of the extreme conditions caused by climate change.

The start-up Sun’Agri, a subsidiary of the Sun’Air group, has developed the agrivoltaism technique and conducted experiments on agricultural test sites. The goal is to combine the production of crops and energy within the context of global warming.

Climate change and its procession of increasingly more frequent droughts emphasises the role of irrigation in agriculture in temperate countries. In the Mediterranean region, it has already become the sole solution for maintaining agricultural production. However, this is an area where there are still many developments to be implemented, with paradoxes and solutions that sometimes go against the general way of thinking.

Even though the United States, and California in particular, and Iran account for 66% of the global pistachio market, the pistachio crop, also known as the new green gold, is also produced in several other countries, such as Spain, China, Turkey, Italy, Greece and more recently France.

 Localised irrigation has developed rapidly since the 1970s,  particularly on crops where sprinkler irrigation was used previously: orchards, market garden crops.

The main features of localised irrigation are that the water is directly applied close to the ground on a frequent basis. Only some of the soil surface is wettened, and, therefore, this only affects a part of the soil volume. On the other hand, as far as sprinkler irrigation is concerned, the water is sprayed from a certain height above the ground; therefore, the droplets fall onto the ground with some intensity and a certain force.

Consequently, apart from anything else (equipment, required labour, energy balance, carbon balance…), these two methods differ significantly in a strictly agronomic sense, given their effect on the microclimate-soil-plant relationship.

In this article, we intend to look at the different aspects from an agronomic point of view and, for each one, compare the two main irrigation systems. Finally, an overview of a few examples will enable us to show which aspects influence the choice of one or another of these systems, looking at things from an agronomic perspective.

If you associate agriculture and irrigation with words like archaic and undeveloped, you are probably not alone. Many people are not aware of how farmers around the world have invested in technology to produce more food using fewer resources and protect the environment. The fact is that the agriculture industry has radically changed over the last few decades, improving scale, yield, and efficiency using natural resources. It is a common priority for all involved in the agriculture business.

Most recently, we’ve seen an expansion of concepts like smart farming, where software for process improvement and IoT (Internet of Things) devices are applied to this agriculture environment. This new era is leading to another revolution in the agriculture industry where connected sensors, analytics, and artificial intelligence could further increase yield and help farmers to produce and improve the efficiency of water and other inputs. As water is a key element of agriculture, the irrigation market has an important role in the future of this connected agriculture.

With climate change, the farmers are having to deal with an increase in extreme weather events, such as periods of drought occurring earlier in the year and for longer periods, hail, frosts, violent storm and heat stress. With so many weather events. we must look for ways of mitigating their effects on the productions.

Among the factors influenced by this climate change, water stands out in particular. Even though the total amount of water available each year hardly changes, distribution is the problem. However, water plays a vital role in agricultural production, particularly in citrus growing. To mitigate these effects, the farmers have a number of tools available. Among these, precision irrigation is particularly significant. It is not so much a solution but rather a powerful tool to help the agricultural industry cope with these new challenges and become more resilient. The same applies to the citrus fruit sector, where irrigation has now become an essential production tool.