Performance of Low Energy Water Application Device

Considering the overall farming situation in developing countries particularly India it has been observed that the available options of efficient irrigation technologies are unable to cover up small and marginal farm holders due to lack of the applicability and acceptability in terms of their needs, priorities and financial capabilities. This makes imperative to develop a substitute of existing technologies that could be cheap simple and less capital intensive as well as applicable for small farms. This paper discusses the performances of a low cost water and energy efficient device called LEWA which can be used in place of overhead impact sprinklers to irrigate field and row crops efficiently at small farms. LEWA can be operated at an operating pressure range 39 to 98 kPa at its nozzle head, with discharge rate 0.87–1.10 m<Superscript>3</Superscript>/h, and throw diameter 6–8 m. Since operating pressure at the nozzle head governs overall system pressure and reflects the total cost of the system, size of prime mover pump required and its operational cost; therefore the developed device holds greater promise in development of a cost effective water and energy efficient pressurized irrigation system for small and marginal farmers possessing small and fragmented land. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010