Sprinkler rates

SPRINKLER IRRIGATION SYSTEM ANALYSIS

BASIC DATA
plant or crop
predominate soil type
average field slope, %
area to be irrigated, square ft
runtime or irrigation duration per day, hr
peak consumptive use or ET (in/day)
system efficiency
effective root depth, in.
AVAILABLE WATER CAPACITY
layer
thickness
in
1
2
3
4
5
TOTAL
0
SYSTEM DESIGN LIMITATIONS
% depletion to initiate irrigation
net application, in
required application, in.
min. irrig. freq, days
required application rate, in/hr
required application rate, gpm
required application rate, gph
maximum application rate, in/hr
maximum application rate, gpm
maximum application rate, gph

11/8/2000

vary to meet irrigation needs

from Table 1
use 0.7 for sprinkler
from Table 2
from Soils 5 or Table 3

AW
in/in

AWC
in

0.0

0.0

total thickness cannot exceed effective root depth

use 50 for sprinkler

available water times % depletion
net application / system efficiency
net application / ET
to replace depleted water in runtime above

from Table 4 (to prevent runoff and erosion)

min. system capacity, gpm

to equal ET (if irrigation system is run continuously)

Page 1

Sprinkler rates

ective root depth

s run continuously)

Page 2

RECTANGULAR AREA SPRINKLER IRRIGATION HEAD ANALYSIS

reference: Landscape Irrigation Design by E. W. Rochester
Area To Be Irrigated:
length, ft.
width, ft.

120
170

Sprinkler Head Specifications (from manufacturer):

Manufacturer
Series
Nozzle
Type
Pattern, degrees
360
180
Flow Rate, gpm
Pressure, psi
Design Throw Radius, ft.

Sprinkler Head Layout

Design Wind Speed, mph
ks
Calculated Spacing, Scalc
Calculated L for triangular

12/3/1999

90

s for square or t for triangular

0-3 mph, 4-7 mph, 8-12 mph
from Table 1, this sheet
0.0

feet
feet

Recommended Spacing, length

Recommended Spacing, width

#DIV/0!

feet
feet

Pattern, degrees
Number of Sprinkler Heads
Area Irrigated / Sprinkler Head
Precipitation Rate

360
#DIV/0!
#DIV/0!
#DIV/0!

180
#DIV/0!
#DIV/0!
#DIV/0!

Total Irrigated Area, ft2

Total Flow to Irrigated Area, gpm

#DIV/0!
#DIV/0!

90 degrees
4 each
ft2
#DIV/0!
#DIV/0!
inches/hour

MICRO IRRIGATION SYSTEM ANALYSIS

BASIC DATA
base plant
predominate soil type
type of micro-irrigation (P or L)
peak consumptive use or ET (in/day)
canopy diameter, feet
canopy width, feet
plant spacing, feet
wetted area reduction ratio
wetted area, ft2
irrigation efficiency
plant water usage, gal/day
emitter flow rate, gph
effective root depth, inches
calculated number of emitters per plant
planned number of emitters per plant
allowed % depletion after irrigation
AVAILABLE WATER CAPACITY
layer
thickness
in
1
2
3
4
5
TOTAL
0

1.00

AW
in/in

irrigation interval, days

volume to apply, inches per irigation interval
volume to apply, gal per irrigation interval
irrigation run time per irrigation interval, hours
planned irigation run time per application, hours
required applications per irrigation interval
application rate per plant, inch/hour
application rate per plant, gpm
application rate per plant, gph
SUMMARY
emitter brand, series, model
base plant
emitters per plant
emitter flow rate, gph
irrigation run time, hours
irrigation interval, days

AWC
in

0.0

Table 1

Peak Daily and Total Seasonal Consumptive Water Use

of Selected Plants in Michigan
Adapted from: Irrigation Principles and Practices, third edition;
by O. W. Israelsen and V. E. Hansen; Wiley and Sons, Inc., NY
by M. Vitosh and Landscape Irrigation Design by E. W. Rochester;
ASAE, St. Joseph, Mi.
Agricultural Crops
alfalfa
pasture
small grains
sugar beets
field beans
corn
potatoes
field peas
tomatoes
tree fruit
Landscape Plants
turfgrass
groundcover, annual flower beds,
evergreens, perennials, shrubs <
4 ft., vines and fruit-bearing trees
mature shade trees
ornametal plants, native shrubs, and
shrubs > 4 ft.
established native plants

11/11/1998

Peak Daily
Use, inches/day
0.22
0.22
0.18
0.20
0.18
0.25
0.20
0.18
0.17
0.18

Total Season
Use, Inches
26
24
14
20
12
20
18
9
17
20

Peak Daily
Use, inches/day
0.25

Total Season
Use, Inches
25

0.25
0.20

25
20

0.18
0.10

18
10

Page 5

Table 2

Effective Rooting Depths (irrigation depth)

11/11/1998
From: Chapter 12 of the Michigan Irrigation Guide by M. L. Vitosh
and Landscape Irrigation Design by E. W. Rochester; ASAE, St. Joseph, Mi.
Plant
alfalfa
cabbage
carrot
corn
cucumber
field bean
lettuce
onion
pasture
peas
potato
small grain
soybean
strawberry
sugar beet
tomato
perennial grass
groundcover
low shrubs
shrubs and trees, 3 - 5 ft. tall
shrubs and trees, 5 - 10 ft. tall
shrubs and trees, 10 - 20 ft. tall
shrubs and trees, > 20 ft. tall

root depth
inches
36 to 72
18 to 24
18 to 24
30 to 48
18 to 24
12 to 24
6 to 12
12 to 18
18 to 36
12 to 24
18 to 24
24 to 36
18 to 24
6 to 12
24 to 36
12 to 24
6 to 12
12 to 24
12 to 24
24 to 36
36 to 60
48 to 60
> 72

Page 6

Table 3

General Range of Available Moisture-Holding Capacities

and Average Design Values for Normal Soil Conditions.
Reference: USDA, NRCS, Engineering Field Manual

Soil Texture
Very coarse-textured sands and
fine sands
Coarse-textured loamy sands
and loamy fine sands
Moderately coarse-textured
sandy loams and fine sandy loams
Medium textured very fine sandy loams,
loam and silt loams
Moderately fine-textured sandy clay loams,
clay loams, and silty clay loams
Fine-textured sandy clays, silty clays,
and clay

11/11/1998

Available Water
Range
Average
in./in.
in./in.
0.04-0.08

0.06

0.06-0.10

0.08

0.10-0.15

0.13

0.13-0.19

0.16

0.15-0.21

0.18

0.13-0.21

0.17

Page 7

Table 4

Suggested Maximum Water Application Rates for Sprinklers for Average

11/11/1998
Soil, Slope, and Cultural Conditions
reference: Soil and Water Engineering by Schwab, et al., 4th edition, Wiley & Sons, Inc

Soil Texture and Profile Conditions

A. light sandy loams uniform in texture to 5 ft.
B. light sandy loams over more compact subsoils
C. silt loams uniform in texture to 5 ft.
D. silt loams over more compact subsoil
E. heavy-textured clays or clay loams

Maximum Water Application Rate, in/hr

0% slope
10% slope
w/cover
bare
w/cover
bare
1.3
0.8
0.7
0.4
1.0
0.6
0.5
0.3
0.6
0.4
0.4
0.2
0.4
0.2
0.2
0.1
0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1

Page 8