Water Management in Horticultural Crops (1+1)

Basin, furrow or border irrigation

• Flat lands, with a slope of 0.1% or less, are best suited for basin irrigation; little land leveling will be required. If the slope is more than 1% terraces can be constructed. However, the amount of land leveling can be considerable.
  
• Furrow irrigation can be used on flat land (short, near horizontal furrows), and on mildly sloping land with a slope of maximum 0.5%. On steeper sloping land, contour furrows can be used up to a maximum land slope of 3%. A minimum slope of 0.05% is recommended to assist drainage.
  
• Border irrigation can be used on sloping land up to 2% on sandy soil and 5% on clay soil. A minimum slope of 0.05% is recommended to ensure adequate drainage.
  
• All soil types, except coarse sand with an infiltration rate of more than 30 mm/hour, can be used for surface irrigation. If the infiltration rate is higher than 30 mm/hour, sprinkler or drip irrigation should be used.
  
• Furrow irrigation is best used for irrigating row crops such as vegetables and trees. Border irrigation is particularly suitable for close growing crops, row crops and trees.