Irrigation -Agricultural Irrigation Course Online

Water is essential for both plant and animal growth. It is often a major limitation to productivity. Irrigation now plays a more significant role in agriculture than previously. Depending on the climate, the value of the plants or animals, the value of the land and it's suitability for irrigation, the cost, reliability and quality of the water supply, irrigation may or may not be possible or feasible.

Irrigation may enable plants (i.e. crops, pasture) to be grown in a dry climate where it would not otherwise be possible, or it may supplement the existing rainfall and improve growth rates by extending the growth period of the plant, or by ensuring there is adequate moisture during critical periods when the plant is growing most rapidly. The value of irrigation can vary greatly from year to year depending on the distribution of rainfall during the growth season.

There are 10 lessons in this course:

Introduction to Irrigation
- Sources of water
- Soil & water
- How to improve water quality
Soil Characteristics & Problems
- Understanding soils
- Different soils are suited to different purposes
- Sodicity, pH and salinity
- Drainage, infiltration and uniformity
Estimating Plant Needs & Irrigation Scheduling
- When to irrigate
- Measuring water availability to plant
- Rooting depths of plants
- Irrigation calculations
- Estimating water requirements of plants
- Crop scheduling
- Water volumes and duration
Drainage
- Waste water treatment using reed beds
- Suitable plants
- Drainage
- Dams/Water storage
- Improving soils
- Erosion
Types of Irrigation Systems
- Traveling Sprinklers
- Conventional Systems
- Sprinkler Heads
- Flood Irrigation Systems
- Water Volumes & Duration
Trickle Systems
- Trickle Irrigation
- Microjet Irrigation Provides Many of the Answers
- Maintaining your Trickle Irrigation
- Trickle Irrigation: Prevention Of Clogging
Design Specifications
- Hydraulics
Pumps & Filters
- Comparison of pump heads
- Pumps & Pressure Systems
- Controllers
- Pumps
Selecting the Right System For a Plant
- Flood irrigation
- Sprinkler irrigation
- Trickle irrigation
- Irrigation of vines
- Efficient orchard irrigation
Design & Operation of Systems.
- Cyclic watering
- Pulse watering
- Sprinkler spacing
- Electrical factors
- Electric automatic systems

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

For more information request your free info pack!