ABSTRACT
Water from both surface and underground sources pick up particulate matter during conveyance-sands, silts, plant fragments, algae, diatoms, larvae, snails, fishes, etc. While the majority of the suspended solids may be removed in preirrigation treatments such as sedimentation and filtration, some of the fine silts and colloidal clay particles inadvertently remain and settle inside the lateral lines or emitters impeding the water flow. As the flow slows down and/or the chemical background of the water changes, chemical precipitates and/or microbial flocs and slimes begin to form and grow, thus microirrigation emitter clogging occurs. This section delineates the occurrences of chemical precipitates and the chemistry of acidification that is employed to mitigate clogging caused by chemical precipitates. Clogging resulting from formation of microbial flocs and slimes is controllable by acidification as well as chlorination.
