Abstract

An analysis of water consumption for all uses in Cuba shows that the volume of water planned for the whole country, agricultural activities consume 50% each year and approximately 40% of this volume been used for irrigation of the rice crop, Dorticos(2012). Surface irrigation systems classified as those with the lowest efficiency in water use, with average values lower than 60%; being the lowest among all the irrigation techniques used in the country. This situation justifies the use of more efficient irrigation techniques, which propitiate the highest crop yields and contribute to mitigate the effects of climate change. In the paper are compared, three variants design of drip irrigation system in citrus crops, for a real case study in the central region of Cuba: Using the procedures followed from the field tests; using tabulated values proposed by other authors; and applying an alternative procedure used in the design practice of these irrigation systems. The results demonstrate the need to carry out field tests as a premise to design drip irrigation systems and as a guarantee of therational use of water and energy in the face of climate change.

Keywords

localized irrigation, drip emitter, flow, volume, wet bulb, full turbulence, soil moisture, water supply, net water requirements, total water requirements, depth of wet bulb, wet bulb ratio, water depth, Lateral length, Lateral discharge, hydraulic design, variant, working pressure, application efficiency