World Journal of Engineering Research and Technology

Mukaila Olatunde Lasisi*, S. A. Ogundare and B. O. Fati

ABSTRACT

The development of wagon- wheel irrigator can make the production and availability of food crops, citrus and vegetables possible throughout the year on small, medium and large scale basis at an affordable cost. In places and periods of water scarcity, the wagonwheel irrigator can be used for economic growing of vegetables, citrus and food crops all ?round the year. The system reduces water loss and conserved water during the period of scarcity. The beauty of this system is that, the controlled moisture available to the plant at low soil tension results in faster growth, higher yields, better quality and more environmentally and health friendly. The slow rate of water application improves the penetration of water into problematic soils and reduces substantially deep percolation and runoff losses. It drips and does not spray, thus sending lot of slow drip(s) where the water is needed. Hence, it saves water, money, time and makes provision for allseason farming. The system was developed using a simple principle of water flow through gravity to drip out water at regulated interval to irrigate a given farm land. The wagon- wheel irrigator was constructed and fabricated locally and tested. The application rate of the emitters is 20.70mm3/sec and the efficiency of the emitters flow rate is 73.5%. The drum has 267 litres capacity and 42 emitters in all to irrigate 24m2 portions of vegetable gardens. The total cost of production was estimated to be N33, 360 which is affordable by small and medium scale farmers.

[Full Text Article] [Download Certificate]