ABSTRACT
Sprinkler irrigation can be defined as the controlled distribution of water as discrete droplets through air. Sprinkler devices were first invented during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, primarily for lawns and gardens.[1] Their widespread use for agricultural crops did not come about until the availability of lightweight aluminum pipe and low cost electricity following World War II. Sprinkler irrigation is particularly well suited to rolling topography, shallow soils, and sandy soils, which are difficult to irrigate efficiently with gravity flow surface irrigation systems. Sprinkler systems are now used on one-half of the 50 million irrigated acres in the United States.[2]
Early sprinkler systems used manually moved pipe and fixed or portable pumps and mainlines. Handmove lines are relatively low cost in terms of equipment investment, but are labor intensive. Labor costs provided the primary incentive to develop mechanically moved sprinkler systems. Another factor has been the increase in farm size and the desire to create automated irrigation systems so that one person can irrigate more land. This article describes the mechanics of the various systems. Special sprinklers, mounting devices, and pressure regulators have been developed for these systems. Information on the sprinklers, system design and management, etc. can be found in the listed references.[3-6]
STATIONARY OR PERIODIC-MOVE LATERALS
A sprinkler lateral is a continuous length of pipe upon which sprinklers are mounted, usually equally spaced. Mechanically moved or hand-moved stationary laterals remain in a fixed position while irrigating, which are then drained and moved to a new predetermined position. They normally irrigate rectangular fields and require several sets to completely irrigate the field.
Sideroll Wheeline
