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Agriculture vocabulary · Irrigation and Water

Furrow irrigation

Meaning in agriculture, with examples

nounCommon term

In agriculture, furrow irrigation means: A surface irrigation method in which water flows by gravity along small channels made between crop rows.

In Turkish: karık sulama, karıkla sulama

How it is used

Common for cotton, maize and vegetables on flat land. It is cheap to set up but loses much water through deep percolation and runoff, which can raise water tables and cause salinity. Flood and basin irrigation are related surface methods.

Example sentences

  1. Most cotton fields in the plain still use furrow irrigation.

  2. Switching from furrow irrigation to drip cut our water use in half.

Common collocations

  • furrow irrigation
  • surface irrigation
  • flood irrigation
  • irrigation furrow
  • irrigationThe artificial supply of water to land or crops through channels, pipes, sprinklers or drippers, used when rain alone is not enough.
  • drip irrigationA method that delivers water slowly and directly to the roots of each plant through pipes and small emitters, wasting very little water.
  • sprinkler irrigationA method of irrigation that sprays water into the air through pipes and rotating heads, so that it falls on the crop like rain.
  • salinityThe amount of dissolved salts in soil or water; high salinity makes it hard for plants to take up water and lowers yields.
  • irrigation schedulingDeciding when to irrigate and how much water to apply, based on crop needs, weather data and soil moisture.

More terms: Irrigation and Water

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