IRRIGATION GUIDE
Irrigation planning: what to measure before designing a system
A useful irrigation plan starts with recorded measurements. Before drawing pipe routes or choosing products, collect the information below in one place. This checklist helps you prepare inputs; it does not replace a hydraulic design.
1. Draw the actual boundary
Record the outline and dimensions of the area to irrigate. Mark buildings, paths and places that must remain dry. A long narrow plot and a square plot with the same area need different layouts. If you know only the area, keep the boundary and dimensions marked as unknown rather than guessing them.
2. Add the planting layout
Write down the crop, row direction, distance between rows and distance between plants. Mark separate growing areas individually. For example, keep a vegetable bed and a lawn as separate entries in your preparation notes instead of treating them as one uniform area.
3. Locate and measure the water supply
Mark the connection point on the same sketch. Record the measured flow, pressure under operating conditions, and when the supply is available. Write units beside every value: litres per hour and cubic metres per hour differ by a factor of 1,000. A pump label alone is not a measurement at the field connection.
4. Record site conditions
Add slopes and elevation differences where known, soil observations, exposed or windy areas, and any information about water quality. Note the date and method of each measurement so another person can understand the inputs. Leave a clear distinction between measured values, estimates and missing data.
5. Compare methods before choosing equipment
Drip irrigation supplies water near the plants, while sprinklers distribute water over an area. Crop, soil, water supply and operating conditions all matter when comparing methods. Use the linked FAO guidance below as background and the current technical sheet for each product when developing a project.
Your project preparation sheet
- Project name, location and measurement date
- Boundary sketch, dimensions, planted areas and obstacles
- Crop, plant spacing and row spacing
- Water connection position, measured flow and operating pressure
- Elevation differences, soil and water-quality notes
- Unknowns to check before selecting pipes and emitters
IrriSolve is being developed to bring field and crop information into irrigation planning. The full application is not yet publicly available; early registration is open.