Subsurface drip irrigation is being increasingly adopted in agricultural irrigation. Drip irrigation delivers significant water and fertilizer savings, and when combined with plastic mulch, it effectively suppresses weed growth. This approach fully leverages the advantages of drip tapes (or pipes) and plastic film, thereby enhancing crop yields.
The subsurface drip irrigation system has the same configuration as field and greenhouse drip irrigation systems. The entire irrigation system comprises a water-source facility (groundwater from wells, river water, or reservoir water) → a headworks unit (including power units, water pumps, fertilizer injectors, filters, pressure gauges, flow meters, gate valves, check valves, and air-intake/vent valves, among others) → a water-delivery and distribution network (PVC pipes, PE pipes, and
Soft band ) → Irrigation emitters (including labyrinth drip tape, patch-type drip tape, and cylindrical drip tubing). Once the drip irrigation system has been fully installed, a layer of plastic mulch can be laid over the installed drip tape (or tubing); alternatively, specialized machinery can be used to lay the drip tape and mulch simultaneously.
Advantages of subsurface drip irrigation:
1. Conserve water resources. Drip irrigation is a localized irrigation technique in which water drips slowly and steadily, wetting only the soil immediately surrounding the crop roots, thereby eliminating surface runoff and deep percolation. With subsurface drip irrigation under plastic mulch, interplant evaporation is virtually eliminated.
2. Fertilizer conservation and yield increase. Unlike conventional surface irrigation, drip irrigation does not disrupt the soil structure around crop roots, and the use of plastic mulch provides thermal insulation, creating a favorable growing environment that promotes crop development. Irrigation with drip systems minimizes deep percolation and surface runoff, thereby preventing the loss of soil nutrients through water leaching, enhancing fertilizer use efficiency, and ultimately leading to reduced fertilizer application and increased yields.
3. Drip irrigation systems enable automated irrigation, reducing labor input. Subsurface drip irrigation enhances irrigation efficiency and allows for simultaneous fertigation, further decreasing labor requirements, alleviating physical strain, and lowering production costs.
4. Improve crop quality and protect the environment. Subsurface drip irrigation combined with fertigation enhances water and fertilizer use efficiency, reduces chemical fertilizer application, and improves crop quality. It also conserves water; in areas relying on well water, it can reduce groundwater extraction. Lowering chemical fertilizer use mitigates the environmental impacts associated with their application, thereby contributing to environmental protection.