### activity:

Irrigation
* Explain the importance of irrigation.
* Most irrigation is with the drip irrigation system.
* Some irrigation contributes to mortality
  - results in water pressure
* adds one food unit to any type that can be irrigated.
* allows the crops to flourish during times of excessive dry weather.
* already accounts for about two thirds of water use worldwide
  - two-thirds of water use worldwide
* also allows farmers to reap the economic benefits of growing higher-value cash crops
  - can eliminate losses due to freezing temperatures during the early bloom periods
  - help to pack the soil
  - increases plant residues returned to the soil
* can accelerate transport of nitrate to shallow ground water in heavily fertilized areas.
* can also increase the uniformity of emergence and final stand of seeded crops
  - reduce pest populations
  - cause erosion, crusting and salination
  - have an important impact on grapevines in semi-arid regions
  - increase land productivity by three to seven times, especially in the north
  - let more crops be grown on the same land , or allow a crop to grow in a dry period
  - provide water when natural rainfall is insufficient
  - result in higher quality fruit and vegetables and the overall health of the plant
  - supplement rainfall to supply crop water needs
  - supply crops with supplemental water
* causes the bringing to the surface of capillary water charged with dangerous salts.
* collection of links to numerous web sites in the fields of irrigation and hydrology.
* common practice on cropped areas.
* compensates for water deficits in dry areas.
* consumes the largest amount of water in Saudi Arabia.
* continues in all areas to help keep trees from going into stress and dropping foliage.
* contributes to life.
* depletes deep groundwater supplies, known as aquifers.
* helps leach excess fertilizer
  - problems
  - wash the soil from the cores
* improves tree establishment and can increase productivity.
* increases humidity, a factor in tornado formation
  - landslide potential
  - plant turgor and helps the plant move water through cell membranes
  - the amount of farmed land and yield
  - yields substantially when applied during dry weather
* inevitably leads to the salinization of soils and waters.
* is agriculture's drought management program.
* is also essential in maintaining a healthy lawn
  - important when insecticides are used to treat grub worms
  - key to social infrastructure
  - locally important in Western Australia and Tasmania
  - an alternative to wearing a colostomy appliance
* is an ancient and important agricultural practice
  - art
* is an important element of security in the face of widely fluctuating rainfall
  - factor in the occupation of Nebraska by an agricultural population
  - part of successful vegetable crop production
  - integral part of farming
  - another way to provide frost protection
  - any man-made way of putting water onto land to grow food and other plant products
  - by far the largest water use in the West
  - especially useful when establishing newly seeded or transplanted crops
* is essential for commercial fruit production in areas with a dry season
  - new plantings and mature bearing plants
  - to ensure the plants are never stressed for water
  - extremely important for optimum plant growth and good production
* is important for good growth and nuts, especially when trees are young
  - lawn areas in front of buildings
  - in the production of quality roots
  - when cleaning heavily contaminated wounds
  - medical care
* is most beneficial to the early production of young plantings
  - critical when the water needs of the corn plant are greatest
* is necessary for most landscape plant materials to survive and thrive
  - the production of citrus fruits, soft fruit and vegetables
* is necessary in dry areas and during dry periods
  - seasons
* is one of the most important practices for a grower to focus on in the spring
  - oldest uses of water by mankind
* is practiced extensively, making water a major resource in drier regions
  - on a larger scale in South Africa than it is in Botswana
  - predominately from groundwater
  - provision
  - responsible for much of what has been produced, resulting in higher production costs
  - seen by some as an environmental disaster to the earth
* is the application of water to lands for the raising of agricultural crops
  - artificial supply of water to agricultural land
  - cultural practice involving the application of water to turf
* is the key to making the arid land productive
  - the production of rice, Nepal's primary staple and export item
  - process of artificially applying water to soil to allow plant growth
  - seminal issue for agriculture in most developing countries
  - solution where dry seasons and drought are the problem
  - watering of land by other than natural methods
  - used by farmers to cool plants during extreme weather
* is used extensively in cropped areas
  - some areas
  - substantially by most countries, some more than others
* is used where a water source is available
  - water is available but most cropland is dryland
* key input for agriculture in California.
* means by which an adequate moisture supply to the crop can be better assured.
* method to deliver the topical agents more directly to the periodontic bacteria.
* moves the herbicide into the soil and prevents breakdown by the sun.
* necessary part of Turkish agriculture.
* plays a range of roles in mountain farming systems and their dynamics or change
* process to supplement precipitation by artificial means.
* produces drainage that frequently recharges groundwater.
* provides an environment conducive to increased plant production for long season crops.
* reduces crop moisture stress in fields with high nematode populations
* requires amounts.
* shows effects
  - little effects
* stimulates germination and hastens growth
* system extending across many technical and non-technical disciplines.
* thus plays a focal role in the growth of grain.
* usually improves soybean yields on drought-prone soils and in exceptionally dry seasons.
* way of delivering water to the trees.
+ Irrigation, Impacts: Agriculture
  * Irrigation can let more crops be grown on the same land, or allow a crop to grow in a dry period. It is expensive and care should be taken to ensure that the benefits from increased crop yields are not exceeded by the installation and operating costs of the irrigation scheme.
  * Irrigation causes a subsequent rise in watertables. If saline water is below, it may rise to the surface. Sometimes salinity becomes high enough to kill the plants. Irrigation water itself can carry salt and sometimes other toxic materials that hurt the plants. To prevent this, irrigation projects must also assure good drainage.