Recognizing the Functions of Drainage, Irrigation, and Crop Science in Agriculture

Crop science is the study of agricultural difficulties and challenges, such as resource utilization in order to produce food, feed, fiber, and fuel in a sustainable manner, as well as the production, processing, and marketing of high-quality food and nonfood items.

Land Reclamation

Land reclamation is the process of preparing lands for more intense use. It can also be described as the process of forming new land from oceans, seas, river beds, or lake beds.

Land reclamation is also the activity of recovering or rehabilitating unusable wasteland so that it can be used for agriculture or animal husbandry. This could include area that is now under bogs, rivers, woods, deserts, or plagued with tsetse flies.

Methods for Reclaiming Land

• Deforestation or forest clearance:

This is the process of removing a forest or a stand of trees from land and converting it to another use. Deforestation may entail transforming forest land into farms, ranches, or urban areas.

The land beneath the forest is cleaned using bulldozers, motorized saws, axes, or pangas. Controlled burning or arboricides (chemicals that kill trees and herbs) may be employed in certain situations. After clearing the forest and burning, appropriate crops are cultivated and animals are raised on the property.

However, indiscriminate tree cutting and burning might result in the loss of this resource.

Furthermore, unless the cleared ground is adequately managed by terracing or planting, soil erosion

• Draining swampy areas:

The main purpose of land drainage is to allow water in the wet or swampy ground to rapidly drain away or to relieve hydrostatic pressure. Ditches are constructed in swampy areas to drain off excess water.

By so doing, the water table is lowered which facilitates the growing of horticultural crops such as cabbages, tomatoes, eggplants, and onions. This practice is becoming common in many parts of Africa.

• Irrigating dry areas:

Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the soil by various systems of tubes, pumps, or sprays.

Arid and semi-arid land, which would not otherwise be used for growing crops, is brought under cultivation by laying on irrigation facilities.

Dams are constructed and water is supplied to crops using overhead sprays, floods, basins, or furrow irrigation systems.

• Terracing hilly terrain:

Terracing is a cross-checking agricultural activity that involves rearranging farmlands or converting hills into farmlands by building specialized ridged platforms.

Terracing is often required when hills are too steep for farming.

Terracing conserves water and soil, making areas easier to operate with machines.

Terracing options include broad-based terraces, narrow-based terraces, and bench terraces.

• Afforestation

refers to the process of planting trees in areas where they have died out or never existed previously. Trees are planted on hilltops or the slopes of mountains and hills where no or few crops can thrive.

Typically, pine and cypress trees are used, such as Monterey pine (Pinus radiata) and Mexican cedar.

Land Drainage

This is a land rehabilitation approach that involves draining surplus water from a waterlogged area. The primary goal of land drainage is to allow water in wet or marshy areas to quickly drain away or relieve hydrostatic pressure.

The primary advantages of draining land are improved soil aeration in regions where waterlogging is an issue. Most crops’ roots grow club-shaped as a result of insufficient oxygen. This happens when cabbages are cultivated in such settings.

Good drainage raises soil warmth, improves soil structure, and promotes crop growth by establishing a stable water table. Citrus groves, for example, require good drainage since fluctuations in the water table can lead

Types of Water Drainage

• Drainage via open ditch:

Another name for open ditch drainage is a natural drainage system, which is made up of unpaved ditches or channels that gather wastewater. Heavy runoff flows are intended to be handled by this system.

Gravity causes the water to flow down the slope once the soil is dug out to create a ditch. By lowering the water table, this technique facilitates the establishment of permanent pastures and the cultivation of horticultural crops.

Ditches come in three different shapes: square, V, and U.
Drainage from open ditches.

• Drainage system made of tiles:

The tile drainage system is a type of agricultural drainage system that removes extra subsurface water from fields, allowing heavy machinery to access the soil for crop tending and harvesting, as well as ample air space for efficient cultivation.

Subterranean drain pipes or tiles are used to remove water from regions that have accumulated water. This approach is popular in the United States of America even though it is uncommon in Africa.

Irrigation

In dry or semi-arid regions where rain is either insufficient or unpredictable, this artificial technique supplies water to crops. For instance, irrigation makes it feasible to grow crops in arid regions of Egypt.

Techniques for Irrigation

Surface irrigation, sprinkler (overhead), and drip (trickle) irrigation are the three main techniques for irrigating land. The geography of the land, the kind of soil, the availability of water in the area, and the initial and ongoing expenses that the farmer would spend all play a role in the decision of which method to utilize.

1. Surface irrigation: 

When surface irrigation is used, water is either inundated over the entire field and left uncontrolled (wild flooding) or it is directed and regulated using various features like furrows and basins. The system is referred to as furrow irrigation when water is distributed through furrows, and basin irrigation when water is delivered to crops using basins.

2. Flood irrigation:

When using flood irrigation, ditches are used to transport water to the crops over the entire area. Little control is exercised over the water supply. As a result, the system is wasteful.

3. Irrigation in furrows:

The best conditions for this system are flat soils or slightly sloping terrain with modest water flow. Water can move more slowly down a slope because to furrows that are built on a contour.

Although there is no need for leveling, it is crucial to use caution when creating the furrows to stop soil erosion and runoff.

A constant gradient of no more than 2 percent should run through the furrows from one end to the other. A drawback of this approach is that salts tend to collect in the furrows, especially when high salt water is used or when rainfall is irregular or seasonal.

Salts build up throughout the dry season. When it rains, the salts dissolve and harm the roots, preventing enough water from getting to the ends of the furrows.

4. Basin Irrigation: 

Level soils and soils with permeability so high that furrow irrigation is not feasible are the ideal candidates for this technique. The method is applied to citrus growth in South Africa, Florida, and Israel, although it is not commonly employed in East Africa.

There, furrows are used to introduce water into the basins that are built around one, two, or three citrus plants.

The fact that multiple trees are typically watered at once results in reduced labor costs and minimal water consumption.

5. Sprinkler or overhead irrigation:

Water is pumped to 15 cm delivery pipes known as laterals from mains with a 20 cm diameter. After that, it is shot into the air through nozzles at a high pressure.

falls to the earth in tiny, rain-like droplets. To make them easier to handle, the mains and laterals are composed of aluminum in joints or portions that are either 5 or 6.7 meters long.

Certain sprinklers have a watering capacity of 10 to 25 meters and a coverage radius of roughly 25mm/h. This technique works especially well on soil that infiltrates deeply.

Benefits of overhead or sprinkler irrigation

• It is not necessary to level the land, which is an expensive thing.
• It is possible to combine fertilizers and herbicides in the water tank and apply them evenly.
• Reduced soil erosion occurs.
• This is the perfect solution for areas that are steep and sandy.
• This system can be operated without the need for specialized knowledge or expertise, such as when recoupling and uncoupling or relocating delivery pipes.

Disadvantages of Sprinkler or overhead irrigation:

• Droplets of water can cause topsoil to solidify.
• When water is pumped in little amounts, it tends not to reach deeper layers of the soil profile. In general, this restricts root penetration.
• Root zones are susceptible to salt buildup.
• The way water is applied becomes unequal in windy conditions.

Using a drip or trickle irrigation system

This is a relatively new technique for crop irrigation. In the United States, Israel, and Australia, it is typical. Water is delivered by polyethylene pipes to every row of crops. Water flows out of nozzles in the pipes at predetermined intervals.

Benefits of Trickle or Drip Irrigation

Crops are able to receive an abundance of water most of the time since it is given to or close to the root area.
Salts that are encountered during surface irrigation do not evaporate or accumulate.
Since the water is not evenly distributed across the surface, weeds do not invade the space between the rows.
It works well in dry locations and other situations when there is a lack of water

Factors That Could Influence Crop Irrigation

The kind of topography can have an impact on agricultural irrigation, as clay soil needs different watering practices than sandy or silty soil. The weather is also important because hotter temperatures increase evaporation and water needs. Important considerations also include the kind of crop and its root structure, the terrain’s topography, and the area that will get irrigation.

Conclusion:

To sum up, crop science includes a broad spectrum of agricultural techniques targeted at resource efficiency and sustainable production. Land reclamation is a crucial component that entails turning underutilized or unproductive regions into agricultural land by means of techniques including clearing forests, filling in marshes, irrigating parched areas,planting trees and terracing hilly terrain. Every technique has a distinct function and helps to increase agricultural potential.

An additional vital component of land reclamation is land drainage, which is essential for enhancing soil aeration, increasing soil temperature, and establishing a stable water table. There are two major techniques used to solve waterlogging issues and maximize land productivity: open ditch drainage and tile drainage systems.

In dry or semi-arid areas with inconsistent or rare rainfall, irrigation is an essential tool. Farmers have versatility in how they provide water thanks to a variety of irrigation techniques, including surface irrigation, flood irrigation, furrow irrigation, basin irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, and drip irrigation. The type of crop, geography, soil, and availability of water all affect the irrigation method selection.

Farmers can increase crop yields, enhance soil health, and support sustainable agriculture by putting into practice efficient irrigation and land reclamation strategies. It is imperative that farmers take into account the unique qualities of their land and select appropriate farming practices that are in line with their farming objectives and local conditions.