Expert: Jeff Wooten - 10/30/2006

Question

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i want to design a sprinkler or micro-sprinkler irrigation system of orchard(e.g the layout of trees in an orchard or location of beds).At this stage i am only willing to irrigate 2 hectares(200m * 100m)as a trial plot and want to design the system.system design should include:
1.A3 map of the site to be irrigated the area
2.i want to choose suitable sprinklers to irrigate the area and the location of the sprinkler through out the field
3.i want to draw where pipes should go
4.pipe size each irrigation lateral,i can use PVC or polyethylene
we can assume the irrigation water is pumped from 10 m deep bore,what can be the pump requirements(discharge rate and pressure).  

Answer
Your plan looks good.  Being that you want to use micro-irigation, you will only need one valve for the project, unless you just want to set it up with more.  You will need to have a good filter on the system (between the valves and the emitters, at least a 150 mesh screen.  I would suggest using PVC for all the main piping and the "header" of the system, then convert to poly for the runs in the trees.  Try looking on the RainBird and Hunter websites for ideas regarding equipment and installation.