Table Of ContentIRRIGATION SYSTEM DESIGN FOR AN ALMOND ORCHARD
by
Dylan Soares
BioResource and Agricultural Engineering
BioResource and Agricultural Engineering Department
California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo
2016
SIGNATURE PAGE
TITLE : Irrigation System Design for an Almond Orchard
AUTHOR : Dylan Soares
DATE SUBMITTED : May 31, 2016
Dan Howes
Senior Project Advisor Signature
Date
Charlie Crabb
Department Head Signature
Date
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
iii
ABSTRACT
This senior project discusses the design of an irrigation system for an almond orchard in
Merced County. This irrigation system will employ dual line drip emitters to provide
efficient, targeted irrigations while also reducing salt build up. The irrigation system will
also utilize both surface and well water.
iv
DISCLAIMER STATMENT
The university makes it clear that the information forwarded herewith is a project
resulting from a class assignment and has been graded and accepted only as a fulfillment
of a course requirement. Acceptance by the university does not imply technical accuracy
or reliability. Any use of the information in this report is made by the user(s) at his/her
own risk which may include catastrophic failure of the device or infringement of paten or
copyright laws.
Therefore, the recipient and/or user of the information contained in this report agrees to
indemnify, defend and save harmless the State its officers, agents and employees from
any and all claims and losses accruing or resulting to any person, firm, or corporation
who may be injured or damaged as a result of the use of this report.
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
SIGNATURE PAGE .......................................................................................................... ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iii
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iv
DISCLAIMER STATMENT .............................................................................................. v
LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... viii
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1
Background ..................................................................................................................... 1
Objectives ....................................................................................................................... 2
LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................... 3
Evapotranspiration (ET) ................................................................................................. 3
Soil .................................................................................................................................. 3
Water Quality .................................................................................................................. 4
Distribution Uniformity .................................................................................................. 5
Irrigation Scheduling ...................................................................................................... 5
Micro-irrigation .............................................................................................................. 6
Drip Emitters ................................................................................................................... 7
Micro-sprayers ................................................................................................................ 7
Hydraulics ....................................................................................................................... 7
Pressure Regulator .......................................................................................................... 8
Filtration .......................................................................................................................... 8
Pipeline Protection ........................................................................................................ 10
PROCEDURES................................................................................................................. 12
Constraints .................................................................................................................... 12
Emitter Selection ........................................................................................................... 12
Manifold Design ........................................................................................................... 12
Cost Analysis ................................................................................................................ 13
Filtration System ........................................................................................................... 13
Leaching Requirement .................................................................................................. 14
Basic Irrigation Scheduling .......................................................................................... 14
vi
Pipeline Protection ........................................................................................................ 14
RESULTS ......................................................................................................................... 15
DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................... 19
RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................................. 20
REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 21
APPENDIX A ................................................................................................................... 23
APPENDIX B ................................................................................................................... 27
APPENDIX C ................................................................................................................... 46
vii
LIST OF FIGURES
Page
1. 60-acre lot located in Santa Nella ................................................................................... 2
2. Soil map indicating different soil types in the field ........................................................ 3
3. Example of small particles “bridging” an orifice (Burt and Styles, 2011) ..................... 8
4. Sketch showing the process’ sand media tanks go through. Sketch courtesy of
Yardney. .............................................................................................................................. 8
5. Tubular filter in the field (Burt and Styles, 2011) .......................................................... 9
6. Sketch showing how disc filters work (Burt and Styles, 2011) .................................... 10
7. An example of different LAVs and CAVs (Netafim, 2016) ......................................... 11
viii
LIST OF TABLES
Page
1. Total Dynamic Head Calculation.................................................................................. 15
2. Cost Analysis Calculation ............................................................................................. 16
3. Leaching Requirement Calculation............................................................................... 17
4. Irrigation Scheduling Summary .................................................................................... 17
ix
1
INTRODUCTION
Background
Almond orchards in California produced $5.9 billion worth of revenue in 2014, according
to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA, 2014). This success is in
spite of the many obstacle farmers have had to face in California, including drought,
ever-changing environmental regulations, and increasing costs of production. In the
majority of California, the most concerning of these issues is the combination of drought
with regulatory water supply restrictions resulting in the extreme reduction in water
supply. In the last 5 years, farmers within the Central Valley Project have received 0%
allocation, the State Water Project has received an average of 10% allocation, and the San
Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority (Exchange Contractors) have
received less water than mandated by their 1939 contract.
In addition to this, groundwater levels in the Central Valley continue to fall due to
overdraft and the lack of replenishment. This underground aquifer depletion has caused
many problems including wells failing and subsidence. To compound all these problems,
almond trees are not considered drought resistant plants. Just to survive every year,
almond trees need about 1.5 acre-feet of water a year and 3.5-4 acre feet of water a year
to produce a high yield crop (Goldhamer, 2006).
These challenges make designing an irrigation system for almond trees in the Central
Valley an increasingly difficult task. In attempt to solve these issues and still produce a
profit, many farmers in the Central Valley have moved towards utilizing more efficient
irrigation practices like micro-sprinklers and dual line drip. For Soares Farms’ new
almond field in Santa Nella, California, they plan to utilize both micro-sprinklers and
dual line drip to maximize irrigation efficiency and prevent salt buildup. This 60-acre
field will potentially use both well water and surface water to irrigate the field. The
design will include a pump and filter station to prevent plugging of the emitters and to
provide an adequate pressure for the system. An image of the field that the design will be
utilized is shown below.
After the literature review and introduction were written, the grower decided to utilize
only dual line drip emitters. This change in the project will be reflected in the design and
the written report in subsequent sections.
Description:to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA, 2014). design will include a pump and filter station to prevent plugging of the . When used with a drip irrigation system, micro-sprayers can be used . Checking the wetting area using AutoCAD shows that .. Irrigation Design Manual.
