The most efficient irrigation systems

The efficiency of an irrigation system is measured in the crop, not in the catalogue. A drip system with leaking joints or valves that do not close is less efficient than a well-maintained sprinkler system. We review the most efficient systems and what each one demands of the network.

Drip irrigation

It is the most efficient system for tree crops and vegetables, with application efficiencies above 90 %. It works at low pressures but needs a control head with fine filtration, reliable shut-off and check valves, and PE laterals with joints that do not pull out when pressurised. This is where gate valves with push-fit socket for PVC and tapping saddles for the branch connections make the difference.

Micro-sprinkler irrigation

Widely used in orchards and nurseries, it combines the efficiency of drip with wider coverage. It requires a well-sectorised network: ball valves on the laterals and Y-strainers to protect the emitters.

Sprinkler irrigation

With higher pressures and large flow rates, it is the system that suffers most from water hammer and pipe movement. Anti-pull fittings and dual-plate check valves protect the installation and stop the joints from giving way every time the pump starts.

Subsurface irrigation

Buried drip irrigation saves evaporation, but it leaves the network with no possibility of inspection. Every part must be designed to last underground: GGG-50 ductile iron, 250 µm epoxy coating, EPDM gaskets and Dacromet-protected bolts.

Efficiency lies in the network

Modernising irrigation also means modernising its parts. Couplings that lock the pipe, valves that really close, strainers that protect the emitters and tapping saddles that allow the network to be extended without shutting it down: that is what we have been manufacturing since 1997 in Molina de Segura. Browse the catalogue or request a quote with your list of references.