Modern sprinkler systems save on water and labor when compared to furrow irrigation, but they require more energy and more capital outlay. As a matter of fact, the sprinkler method costs almost as much energy to distribute the water as it does to pump the water from underground. Agricultural engineers working on Institute projects have found that applying small amounts of water frequently is much more water efficient than soaking a field and waiting two or three weeks before soaking again. Light, frequent irrigations are better for crop production and also leave soil moisture storage available for rain. Drip or trickle systems are now recognized as excellent irrigation methods for high frequency, low volume applications of irrigation water.
Trickle irrigation applies small amounts of water to the soil near the roots of the plant.
Because there is practically no runoff and little evaporation, crops require as much as 50 percent less water. Trickle irrigation as it is presently designed, however, requires a large capital investment and is labor intensive. It has been used successfully on high economic value orchard crops, but it is not economically feasible for row crops. Current institute research emphasis is on designing and testing systems to adapt the trickle concept to row crops.