Soil management and conservation: Irrigation: Methods

Irrigation applies water to soil to improve crop production. The three main methods of irrigation are surface, sprinkler and micro. Surface irrigation is used on 85% of the irrigated land in the world. It generally requires lower capital investment because the soil conveys water within the field, rather than pipes or tubing used for sprinkler or microirrigation. Water application is more controlled with sprinkler and microirrigation and these irrigation methods can be automated easier than surface irrigation. There are many variations of irrigation methods and types of irrigation equipment. The purpose of this article is to describe the irrigation methods primarily used for agricultural production.