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Agriculture vocabulary · Irrigation and Water

Irrigation

Meaning in agriculture, with examples

nounCore term

In agriculture, irrigation means: The artificial supply of water to land or crops through channels, pipes, sprinklers or drippers, used when rain alone is not enough.

In Turkish: sulama

How it is used

A key word in project reports, water management and farm planning. People talk about irrigation systems, irrigation water, irrigated land and irrigation schemes. The verb is 'irrigate'. The opposite of irrigated farming is rain-fed or dryland farming.

Example sentences

  1. Without irrigation, maize is not profitable in this region.

  2. The cooperative is applying for a loan to modernize its irrigation network.

Common collocations

  • irrigation system
  • irrigation water
  • irrigated land
  • irrigation scheme
  • pressurized irrigation
  • 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.
  • furrow irrigationA surface irrigation method in which water flows by gravity along small channels made between crop rows.
  • irrigation schedulingDeciding when to irrigate and how much water to apply, based on crop needs, weather data and soil moisture.
  • groundwaterWater stored underground in soil and rock layers called aquifers, which farmers pump up through wells for irrigation and livestock.

More terms: Irrigation and Water

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