When installing micro-sprinkler tape, design calculations must be performed first, including crop row spacing, planting orientation, and planting length. Irrigation zones should be delineated, and appropriate micro-sprinkler tape models and main and lateral pipe diameters should be selected to ensure that crops receive uniform irrigation coverage.
① When installing and operating micro-sprinkler tape, it is first necessary to ensure that the water quality meets the requirements for micro-sprinkler irrigation water. If groundwater is used, a filter may not be required, or only a centrifugal filter may be installed. However, when the water quality is poor, a filter must be installed. Where necessary, a combination of a centrifugal filter and a mesh filter can be used, and a wire mesh or gauze should be installed at the pump inlet for preliminary filtration.
② When installing micro-sprinkler tapes on sloping terrain, the tapes should be laid parallel to the contour lines to ensure uniform pressure along the entire length of the tape. Taping must not be laid at an angle to prevent excessive pressure at the lower end from causing damage to the tape or uneven spray distribution.
③ During installation, the micro-sprinkler tape must never be dragged across the ground to prevent scratches that could lead to leaks and render the tape unusable.
④ During installation, micro-sprinkler tapes are typically connected to branch lines using soft-tape four-way valves or duckbill bypass fittings (with soft tape commonly used as the branch line for the micro-sprinkler tape). These valves allow adjustment of both the number of sprinkler rows that are simultaneously activated and the spray flow rate of the micro-sprinkler tape.
⑤ After the micro-sprinkler tape has been installed for the first time, before use, first open the lateral valve and the end plug of the micro-sprinkler tape, then flush the system with water for 3–5 minutes to ensure that there are no sand, gravel, or other impurities inside the pipes, thereby preventing blockage of the micro-sprinkler tape. After that, close the end plug and proceed with a water test and irrigation.
⑥ When using a micro-sprinkler irrigation system for the first time, open several valves initially and adjust the branch-line valves based on the spray pattern to prevent excessive pressure from rupturing the tubing. If the micro-sprinkler tape produces a small spray radius and low flow rate, close a few of its valves to increase the water pressure in the pipeline; if the spray flow rate and radius are too large, open a few more valves as needed.
Currently, micro-sprinkler tape is widely used in field crops, greenhouse vegetables, floriculture, nurseries, orchards, and greenhouse-grown crops. When water is directly sprayed from the micro-sprinkler tape into the air, it creates a fine-mist irrigation effect similar to light rain. In recent years, subsurface drip irrigation with micro-sprinkler tape has become increasingly prevalent in agriculture: during installation, the micro-sprinkler tape is first laid out, then covered with plastic mulch; during irrigation, the water sprayed from the tape is directed beneath the mulch and flows toward the root zone of the crops (with faster flow rates and higher efficiency than drip irrigation).