Irrigation and its Relation to World Population

Irrigation and its Relation to World Population

Introduction

Irrigation is the process of artificially bringing the water to cultivated plants in order to increase production. It allows normal development when water insufficiency is induced due to shortage of rainfall, excessive drainage or decrease in groundwater, particularly in arid. Irrigation can also have other applications. It contributes fertilizers either to the ground or by spraying, the leaves in hydroponics. Irrigation merges completely with fertilization. It helps in fighting against frost. Moreover, by spraying water on the foliage can save precious few degrees of temperature at the time of spring frosts, and in some cases by flooding. Today, the world's population exceeds 6000 million. Each of these people will reach a daily intake of about 2700 kcal on average. Whereas in 1950, there was a population of 2500 million and the intake per person was less than 2450 kcal per capita (Gates & Gates, 2011).

Discussion

Need for Irrigation

Plants from the soil needs water, and this need will be determined by various factors such as ambient temperature, weather, light intensity, wind, humidity of the atmosphere and the amount of water that plant used to dissolve the mineral and organic inputs to be retained within its structure, returning to the atmosphere by transpiration water is not needed. On the other hand the quality of soil that we use for the crop to determine the factors in calculating a risk are the porosity of its texture, clay content and sand and silt will be determinants of water permanence in the root zone where plants draw water, and at the same time, their livelihood. Another factor to consider is the size of the plant. Obviously you will not need the same amount of water when the plant begins to grow to a significant size (Rodda, Ubertini, et al, 2004).

Forms of Irrigation around the World

According to the technique and means of use to provide water to the plant roots, there are four forms of irrigations:

Flood irrigation

Furrow irrigation

Sprinkling

Drip irrigation (Rodda, Ubertini, et al, 2004).

Flood irrigation

It is the most traditional and was the usual method of the nineteenth century that invented the drip irrigation. Its current trend is replaced by other techniques as its main drawback is the waste of water (Rodda, Ubertini, et al, 2004).

Furrow Irrigation

This is a type of irrigation that understands the channels that are designed on earth in order to make way for water below the surface of the earth by way of channel. It channel or groove has the ability to hold water for a long enough to transfer it to distant places. This method is suitable for those types of crops which are sensitive to direct moisture from water (Rodda, Ubertini, et al, 2004).

Sprinkling Irrigation

This irrigation system is the one that tries to imitate the rain; that is, the irrigation water is sent to the plant by pipeline and by sprayers called sprinklers. The water rises then falls to spray or as drops on the surface to be watered (Rodda, ...