Pumps...again. And drip irrigation.

[Canada]

Hey guys,

Anyone out there running a vertical turbine pump for irrigation? I've seen one out in the field here recently and aside from the cost, it looks like it may be an option to generating electricity to run a submersible pump which is what i am doing now. I am not sure that ther'd be much savings in fuel cost, but ease of use would be a factor with a belt drive head on it, one of my guys could just roll up on the 2 wheel tractor, hook a belt to it and start pumping.

Looking for any experience with these things and pros and cons. Thanks.

We've started setting up a couple of drip irrigation systems and are now pumping for these systems rather than to a guy in the field on the end of a pipe. So far, we're only able to do about 4 rai (sugarcane) at a time if we're pumping downhill. I'm on a learning curve here, but I think it'll work out a lot better once we get more of it and work out the more of the bugs. But the gear that they sell these days seems pretty simple, effective and reasonably priced.

Any experience anyone wants to share?

Thanks.

[cdmtdm]

i think drip overtime will become a pain , it blocks up , the roots get in , splits ,,, i tried it back on the ord river in oz ... can u use siphon hoses to flood your sugar cane from a holding dam or canal ? that was the way to go imo ....

[Canada]

there's some newer products. The hose is almost like tape, easy to run out and relatively easy to pick up. We won't leave it out a whole season. With cane, it wouldn't last if you just left it out. The harvest would kill it. Cane roots are underground, the hose is above ground. It's almost like a soaker hose. They claim 2 litres pre hour, per drip spot. I've built a filter system for it and run the water out of a well to it, flushing the entire system except for each line before I close it up and pressurize it.

We haven't seen time yet, so you may be right. The Thai way works fine if you have one small plot you are looking after. Or are prepared to let nature take care of w=your water needs.

[Jotham79]

It's difficult to say without knowing more about your operation. How deep is the water in your well? How are your fields laid out? How many rai? Where is it?........

I wouldn't go with drip on crops either. I have a couple of wells but do all my pumping from ponds with a couple of kubotas and mainly go to sprinklers, but I'm doing corn and only have 45 rai total. When I get electricity run out to my farm (about 600 meters) I'll go electric to save on fuel. Have you looked on utube? You might try your provincial agriculture office or better yet contact Kassettsart.

[farmerjo]

Years ago i went to mitr phol r&d site at phukieo.

They started using drip systems to save water.

Also they told me sugar requires 3mm a day,anymore is a waste.

So thats a lot of moving around in your case.

[rice555]

Hello All, Netafim and Metzrpls<sp> in LOS have both run cain/drip projects and should be able to answer

some questions with www stores or @ in questions, yes the will try to sell you.

Yes, you do have to take care of a drip system if you want it to last, and good filtration's a proity.

For SDI(subsurface drip irrigation) you can get tape with Root Guard or you can treat with chems to stop

root intrusion. For a non level growing area you may need to layout your field for ease of use drip or use a

PC tape so hi & low areas get the same amount of water.

Netafim had a booth at the Jan. Korat Ag Show, usually they speak Eng.

There is a lot on drip on the net and U-tube.

Good luck.

rice555

[Canada]

I'll post up a couple of photos of what we're doing.

BTW. 3mm a day. I don't know about that. My observations are that cane will utilise almost as much water as you give it. Maybe if that were everyday on a continuos basis.....

We'll go 2 full days on, and then move the system and try to get back in 2 weeks. We have 3 systems that can do about 4 rai. Have 3 pumps and 4 plots of varying sizes. 2 of the plots have 3 wells each and ther others only have one, but they are smaller plots. None of the plots currently have power (1 could) , I run 2 surface pumps off of kubota power and 1 sub pump off of a generator. The hardest part of it all is getting guys to help on a regular basis really.

[Canada]

Nobody knows anything about the turbine pumps?? I've been reading and down at the store talking, but there's no substitute of reports of someone with experience using them that can speak english.

[farmerjo]

I'll post up a couple of photos of what we're doing.

BTW. 3mm a day. I don't know about that. My observations are that cane will utilise almost as much water as you give it. Maybe if that were everyday on a continuos basis.....

We'll go 2 full days on, and then move the system and try to get back in 2 weeks. We have 3 systems that can do about 4 rai. Have 3 pumps and 4 plots of varying sizes. 2 of the plots have 3 wells each and ther others only have one, but they are smaller plots. None of the plots currently have power (1 could) , I run 2 surface pumps off of kubota power and 1 sub pump off of a generator. The hardest part of it all is getting guys to help on a regular basis really.

Yes,that was everyday depending on time of the season.

Very different to your situation as they had a proper pump house next to a klong,next to the field.

The most positive aspect was the ability to add liquid fertilizer to the water down the lines which you could do as well.

How many rai of sugar do you have?

[Canada]

We have 100 rai of cane. None of it is close to a klong that has water year round. I'm starting the "watering" season this year from a different perspective, having been at this a couple of years now. Biggest problem is labour (as I've already said) so the less I have to rely on workers, the better. Drip irrigation, once the system is instelled is easily mangable on a large scale by one or two people. That is my goal. If I cannot effeciently solve this problem, I may as well sell it all and go back to what I was doing (nothing).

[rice555]

Hello All, a place to look and ask.

rice555

[Canada]

Hello All, a place to look and ask.

rice555

Thanks for that.

[Canada]

Her's a couple of photos of what I'm doing on my cane farm. Not much to it really, but we are just figuring it out.

I think they are all pretty self explanatory. I threw the pic of the generator in just to show how we are running our submersible. Our other pumps are surface pumps. We are running 3 rai at a time right now, and I've been told that I should be able to water 5 rai, off of a surface pumps that is pulling from a pond. In any case, even at 3 rai.... the guys are free to do something else while the field waters itself.

We've finished 24 rai now. And some of it twice, within about 10 days, off of 2 pumps. I think the real test will be in the next piece. 48 rai, starting with fresh hose and running 3 machines. I think I can get it done in two weeks with 2 guys helping.

Next project is too figure out how to apply fertiliser through the water system.

[Canada]

Just a note after posting the pics. The whole system is designed to be portable within one plot or to pick up the parts that make sense to do so and move to another plot. With luck, I'll have enough money to not have to pull up all the hose and move it too.

For the 48 rai plot, I think I will run hose across the entire field at 100 meter length. I think that's 160 rows (if I remember correctly,) then move the system up a hundred meters at a time every 2 days. 100 meters is moveable if it stays in it's linear position. If you are moving across, it doesn't work well.

I'm already hitting obstacles in my head, so well see.... first one is 16000 meters of hose at 1600 baht per 1000. 16 16's is?? 25,600 baht. Well....getting behind on watering last year didn't pay well. Our crop was less than we were hoping for. Shelling out for water or fertiliser or whatever, is fine, if you get it back at harvest.

I've got 10 kms of hose down already on two smaller plots. It's in varying lengths. This is one of my thoughts....ether leave the hose down, or keep it to 100 meter lengths for ease of use anywhere and less thinking.

Any thoughts out there?

[rice555]

Hello All, my only experience with drip tape is with corn, papaya, beans, squash and chilies, much different than your

situation. Except for the papaya and chilies, I use drip for germination to harvest, use for 2 seasons and replace. The

cost of no weeding like with flood/sprinkler irrigation pays for it self, again, I've only been growing 2+ rai.

I can only go by what on the net and Netafim and the link I posted on this thread about drip.

When you start to grow large areas that need irrigation, major planning needs to be done before anything is planted.

You may find that if you have a well on or near a high point, you maybe able to put in a water tower/tank and a hydrant

system in you field to hook up movable drip manifolds or big gun irrigation.

Netafim has on its first page has links to info on drip projects on cane, palm and others with in/out puts info.

rice555

[cdmtdm]

Her's a couple of photos of what I'm doing on my cane farm. Not much to it really, but we are just figuring it out.

I think they are all pretty self explanatory. I threw the pic of the generator in just to show how we are running our submersible. Our other pumps are surface pumps. We are running 3 rai at a time right now, and I've been told that I should be able to water 5 rai, off of a surface pumps that is pulling from a pond. In any case, even at 3 rai.... the guys are free to do something else while the field waters itself.

We've finished 24 rai now. And some of it twice, within about 10 days, off of 2 pumps. I think the real test will be in the next piece. 48 rai, starting with fresh hose and running 3 machines. I think I can get it done in two weeks with 2 guys helping.

Next project is too figure out how to apply fertiliser through the water system.

P1030957.JPG

P1030953.JPG

P1030959.JPG

P1030961.JPG

P1030963.JPG

use a simple venturi on you pump and draw the dissolved fert from blue drum filled with water ...u can buy venturies of all sizes in global cheap as ....

[cobbler]

Anybody know how to get hold of a windmill to pump water in thailand.Any thoughts????

Regards Cobbler

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Canada]

Her's a couple of photos of what I'm doing on my cane farm. Not much to it really, but we are just figuring it out.

I think they are all pretty self explanatory. I threw the pic of the generator in just to show how we are running our submersible. Our other pumps are surface pumps. We are running 3 rai at a time right now, and I've been told that I should be able to water 5 rai, off of a surface pumps that is pulling from a pond. In any case, even at 3 rai.... the guys are free to do something else while the field waters itself.

We've finished 24 rai now. And some of it twice, within about 10 days, off of 2 pumps. I think the real test will be in the next piece. 48 rai, starting with fresh hose and running 3 machines. I think I can get it done in two weeks with 2 guys helping.

Next project is too figure out how to apply fertiliser through the water system.

P1030957.JPG

P1030953.JPG

P1030959.JPG

P1030961.JPG

P1030963.JPG

use a simple venturi on you pump and draw the dissolved fert from blue drum filled with water ...u can buy venturies of all sizes in global cheap as ....

I bought one already, but haven't used it yet. Well, it is an inline one..is that what you mean? I haven't figured out yet how to ensure that I apply the right amount to be evenly distributed throughout the system. I am doing about 3 rai at a time. So.....mix up three rai worth, and let 'er rip??? It seems too simple. There is a metering valve that you can get through Global, but they are about 25,000 baht.

I also thought that by calculating the volume of my system first and then pumping from a premixed reservoir of the same volume, I may get an even distribution if I start pumping from that reservoir once my system is full already and ten follow the reservoir with regular well water once it is empty.

System is 5/8" diameter tape x 5000m length plus the volume of about 50 meters of 2" pvc. I'll have to google up my old and forgotten math skills for this, but what do you think about that method ??

[Canada]

I come up with about 1700 litres. So if I have a 1700 litre reservoir ready and mixed, and pump the drip system full from the well first, then switch the source to pump the reservoir into the system, then close that off once it's empty and pump water from the well to follow it, I should have ( or could have) even distribution of fertiliser over my 3 rai. Right?

Am I making this too complicated??