Comparison of practices

Use of water resources

• Use of water resources
• Use of land resources

Country: Kazakhstan

Province: Jambyl Region

Country: Kazakhstan

Province: Almaty region

District: Karasay District

The site is located in the foothills with significant difference in elevation

Foothill zone in southeastern Kazakhstan, dark-chestnut and middle loamy soils

Start date: 01.01.2006

End date: 31.12.2007

Start date: 01.01.2014

End date: 31.12.2016

Water erosion, discharge, uneven distribution of irrigation water, poor yields

Irrigation-associated soil erosion, low efficiency of applied watering techniques, poor phytosanitary condition of land used for vegetable growing

Technique and technology for irrigation based on Simultaneous Impulse Sprinkling Kit (KSID-10S)

Technique and technology of mist sprinkling irrigation

Actions:

Deployment of the Simultaneous Impulse Sprinkling Kit (KSID-10S) allowing extremely uniform and simultaneous dispersion of irrigation water across all sections of arable pasture or hayfield meadow.  Water expenditure at the impulse device makes 0.05-0.3 l/sec and 0.25-2.0 l/sec in the irrigation pipeline, thus, reducing (3-4 times) the costs associated with the pipeline network installation compared to other sprinkling systems (kits). The pipeline network is built of 15-25 mm diameter pipes easy to transport and assemble in mountainous conditions.

Technical characteristics:

Operation modes: automatic and manual

Irrigated area: 10 ha

Water consumption: up to 100 m³/day

Average sprinkling (rain) intensity: 0.002-0.008 mm/min

EFFICIENCY: 99%

MOC: 98%

Watering automation level: 100%

Results:

• Ensured water supply according to crops requirements with the account of changing weather conditions and moisture deposits in active soil layer;
• Elimination of : 1) water-induced soil erosion, 2) puddling and 3) discharge run-off;
• No need for water recirculation among irrigation sections.

Actions:

A sprinkler (artificial rain irrigation) system installed consisting of 50 mm diameter polyethylene pipes assembled from 10-12 meter segments (5022 SD sprinkler; 3.5 bar pressure; 3.5 mm nozzles; water consumption of 0.87 m3/hour; water distribution area per 1 sprinkler – 12 m).

Results:

Financial and economic:
Compared to ridge-and-furrow watering method, sprinkler irrigation led to a yield increase for the following crops:
• carrots – 15.64%,
• cabbage – 12.78%,
• sweet pepper – 14.19%.

Technical:
• up to 20% reduced irrigation water consumption,
• prevention of irrigation-induced soil erosion,
• improved phytosanitary condition of vegetable fields.

Lessons learnt:

The advantages of impulse sprinkling irrigation were confirmed by the research efforts on other test sites of KAZNIIVKh in Jambyl Region that allowed increasing biological productivity of Golden Delicious apple variety by 10.1-36.8%, and commercial productivity – by 16.6-49.4% compared to conventional sprinkling irrigation systems.

Recommendations:

It is necessary to continue application of similar practices in foothill areas in Central Asia subject to power supply shortages.

Lessons learnt:
The practice demonstrated the possibility of effec-tive water use, reducing labor costs, and increasing yields of several horticultural crops simultaneously.

Recommendations:
Widespread introduction of sprinkler-based mist irrigation systems along with drip irrigation and other advanced water-efficient technologies is necessary. In order to ensure that, water users should have strong financial incentives to facilitate water saving.

Domestic tools (outcomes of research by domestic R&D organizations)

• Domestic tools (outcomes of research by domestic R&D organizations),
• Foreign tools (transfer of foreign experience)

1. Cost of implementation: High

2. Approximate cost of investment per 1 ha:

3. O&M costs: High

4. Expert support: Not needed

1. Cost of implementation: High

2. Approximate cost of investment per 1 ha:

3. O&M costs: High

4. Expert support: Not needed

The PhD thesis “Efficiency of mist (sprinkler) irriga-tion technology for vegetable crops in southeastern Kazakhstan” describing a vegetable (cabbage, carrots, sweet pepper) cultivation technology based on fine sprinkling irrigation developed for the first time for soil and climatic conditions of foothill zone in southeastern Kazakhstan, including an optimal mode of vegetables irrigation via fine overhead sprinkler-based irrigation was developed, as well as analyzing the effects of sprinkler irrigation on biomass formation and crops capacity.

SIC ICWC

SIC ICWC