Adrilite Chapin KB Drip T-tape Das (control)Baffle On-farm drip lateral testing.

AdriliteChapin

KB Drip

T-tape Das(control)Baffle

On-farm drip lateral testing

Southeast Asian/Chinese wide bed system

“Turbulent flow” drip tubing—not easy to manufacture

Drip lateral testing Drip lateral testing: 3 high flow, 3 low flow very low pressure (1.5 psi)

Total marketable yields

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Baffle Das tape T-tape KB drip Chapin tape Adrilite Sprinkler cans

Drip lateral types

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Total marketable yield (kg/plot) of leaf lettuce using 6 drip laterals

Income per plot (Kyats)

Gross Income from 50 ft bed leaf lettuce, 6 drip laterals

12788

6338

10500

12150 11925

13350

11438

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Baffle Das T-tape KB drip Chapin Adrilite Sprinker cans

Kya

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Drip lateral types

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Das tape

T-tape

KB drip

Chapin tape

Adrilite 2 Jan 07

Water Discharge among 6 Drip System Laterals (day 13*)

Soil moisture

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24-Dec 25-Dec 26-Dec 27-Dec 28-Dec 29-Dec 30-Dec 31-Dec 1-Jan 2-Jan 3-Jan 5-Jan 7-Jan

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Baffle

Das tape

T-tape

KB drip

Adrilite

Watermark soil moisture sensor readings* for 5 types of drip irrigation laterals

Irrigation

*8 inches from lateral, 3 in. depthCrop: leaf lettuce

Do we really need containers at all?

Drip laterals under evaluation

High flow rates:-Nepali “Baffle” system-India’s KB Drip (microtube)-Adrilite (like Netafim’s internal turbulent flow emitters

Low flow rates (turbulent flow):-T-tape -Chapin Watermatics tape (now Jain)-Das Agro Plastics (India)

Observations:-Flow rate/100 ft-Emitter uniformity-Soil moisture-Clogging-Crop yield-Crop quality-Vigor ratings-Uniformity ratings-Income

big problem: water container$

• Must be inexpensive

• Accommodate a valve

• Close at top

• Self-supporting, frame, etc.—3 psi (1.5-2 m height) min. pressure

• Easy to clean and transport……..BUT…

Irrigation product customers often haveother urgent problems

IDE crop advisory services?

• Irrigation system design (drip, etc.)

• Improved varieties and seeds

• Seed production assistance

• Disease/pest diagnostic service (i.d.)

• Pest management advice and recommendations (FFS training programs)

• Simplified soil testing

Drip lateral screening

• “Quick and dirty” farmer participatory research (screening)

• Eliminates the poorest performers rather than identifies “the best”

• Better performers evaluated in wider farmers’ field testing

Questions—drip lateral lines

• Which perform best at v. low pressure (1.5-3 psi)?

• Which result in best veg. crop yields/quality (Asian bed system)

• How long will they perform well (durability, resistance to clogging)?

• Which easiest to use, maintain, store?

• Which most cost effective?

Drip lateral testing

Vegetable seed-market assessment, -production feasibility

Vegetable seed production

• High value• Proximity to market less

important (remote areas)• Few “postharvest”

problems• Collaboration possible

with private cos.• Contract production

model• Indegenous/local

varieties

Leaf lettuce sizeSize distribution of leaf lettuce plants among 6 drip laterals

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Baffle Das T-tape KB drip Chapin Adrilite Sprinker cans

% o

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%Large %Med

%Small

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Das tape

T-tape

KB drip

Chapin tape

Adrilite

*21 Dec 06

Water Discharge among 6 Drip System Laterals (day 1*)

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Das tape

T-tape

KB drip

Chapin tape

Adrilite

*23 Dec '06

Water Discharge among 6 Drip System Laterals (day 3*)

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Das tape

T-tape

KB drip

Chapin tape

Adrilite*27 Dec 06

Water Discharge among 6 Drip System Laterals (day 7*)

Clogging?

India’s“microtube” drip system