Revision questions

Introduction + Irrigation systems

1. Define irrigation.
2. What are the factors to consider when selecting an irrigation system.
3. Discuss any two factors considered when selecting an irrigation system
4. List three advantages and three disadvantages of irrigation.
5. List the four main categories of irrigation systems.
6. What are the three types of surface irrigation system?
7. State the advantages of basin irrigation systems when compared to other surface irrigation
systems.
8. What are the factors that determine the size and length of basins in basin irrigation systems?
Explain.
9. Discuss the grading requirement of basin, border strip and furrow irrigation systems.
10. Border strip irrigation is not ideal during germination. Discuss.
11. Discuss the wetting patterns of furrow irrigation systems.
12. What are the advantages and disadvantages of surface irrigation systems?
13. Using an illustration, show the components of a drip irrigation system
14. Drip irrigation systems are almost always solid set. Explain
15. List any three advantages and three disadvantages of drip irrigation systems
16. Describe the wetting patterns of drip irrigation systems
17. Other than irrigation purposes, what are other uses of sprinkler irrigation systems
18. Using an illustration, show the various components of a sprinkler irrigation system
19. Describe the wetting patterns of sprinkler irrigation systems
20. List three advantages and three disadvantages for sprinkler irrigation systems

IWR – Crop water requirement

21. Define the following: (i) reference crop evapotranspiration (ii) Crop evapotranspiration under
standard conditions (iii) Crop evapotranspiration under non-standard conditions (iv) Single
crop coefficient (v) albedo (vi) effective rainfall (vii) pan coefficient (viii)

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22. Distinguish between the various growth stages of crops
23. Distinguish between the various crop coefficient (Kc) values within a growing season.
24. Why is the Kc mid the highest of all within a growing season?
25. What steps are involved in calculation of reference crop evapotranspiration using the (i) FAO
Penman-Monteith equation (ii) Pan evaporation methods?
26. Discuss, briefly, the factors that affect evapotranspiration
27. Develop a Kc curve for (i) watermelon grown on the first of November (ii) cucumber grown
on August first (iii) Rice grown on May first.
28. Use the information on question 27 to calculate the Kc values for all decads using the numerical
approach
29. Describe at least one method that can be used to measure evapotranspiration
30. In a lysimeter, soil depth is 1.5 meters and volumetric moisture at beginning of the growing
period is 35 percent. Effective precipitation for rainfalls >20 millimeters is 50 percent of the
rainfalls and for rainfalls <20 millimeters is 75 percent of the rainfalls. According to the table,
determine evapotranspiration in the growth period. In addition, determine crop coefficient in
each growth period
Month Monthly Relative Rainfall Irrigation Drainage Volumetric
temperature humidity (mm) (mm) (mm) moisture
(℃) (%) (%)
April 10 45 40 120 20 22
May 12 42 32 130 25 18
June 15 38 22 150 40 19
July 20 35 18 180 35 20
August 25 32 10 200 40 22
September 20 37 5 120 25 20

31. Two water sources, surface, and ground water are to be combined to get sufficient water for a
certain irrigation project. The surface and ground water have an EC = 0.5 dS/m and 5 dS/m
respectively. The water is to be used to irrigate a crop whose annual evapotranspiration is 100
mm. The water available can only accommodate a leaching requirement, LR = 0.15. For a
desired efficiency, the EC of the saturation extract and the EC of the irrigation water must be
3 and 2 dS/m respectively. Determine rate mixing ratio of the surface water and the well water

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32. Determine evapotranspiration using below information and the figures: Rainfall (for 24 hours)
= 0 mm. K pan = 0.75

33. Estimate the duration of the four growth stages for the following crops: cotton (190 days),
lentils (160 days), sweet maize (100 days), potatoes (130 days), tomatoes/transplanted (140
days from transplant).
34. Determine the seasonal crop water requirement for wheat from the following data by Blaney-
Criddle method. Take K= 0.7.

Month Nov Dec Jan Feb

Mean temperature (Tm), ℃ 20 16 14 15
Monthly day light hours (O), % 7.19 7.15 7.3 7.03

35. Estimate the potential evapotranspiration for a crop for the month of June using the
Thornthwaite equation from the following data.

Month Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct

Mean temperature (Tm), ℃ 4.5 12.5 20.4 20.2 21.5 10.5 5.5
Max sunshine hours 370 380 365 358 355 350 345

36. Given the wind, speed at 3 m height is 250 km/day; calculate the wind function f (U) by
applying the correction factor for the wind speed.

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37. Determine evapotranspiration using the following information: W=0.77, Rn=6.6, f(u)=0.9, ea-
ed=17.5, C=1.01
38. The following table gives the details for a crop. Using Blaney-Cridle equation and a crop factor
k=0.75, determine the following (i) crop water requirement (ii) preliminary net irrigation
requirement (iii) field irrigation requirement if water application efficiency is 0.7. No leaching
requirement is needed. The latitude of the place is 30° N.
Month Mean monthly Monthly percentage of Effective rainfall,
temp ℃ daytime hours (%) Peff (cm)
Nov 19.0 7.19 -
Dec 16.0 7.15 1.2
Jan 12.5 7.30 0.8
Feb 13.0 7.03 -

39. On a summer day, net solar energy received at a lake reaches 15 MJ/m2/day per day. If 80% of
the energy is used to vaporize water, how large could the depth of evaporation be?
40. Determine the atmospheric pressure and the psychometric constant at an elevation of 1800 m
asl.
41. The daily maximum and minimum air temperature are respectively 24.5 and 15°C. Determine
the saturation vapor pressure for that day.
42. Determine the vapor pressure from the readings of an aspirated psychomotor in a location at
an elevation of 1200 m. The temperatures measured by the dry and wet bulb thermometers are
25.6 and 19.5°C respectively
43. Given the following daily minimum and maximum air temperature and the corresponding
relative humidity data:

Tmin = 18°C and RHmax = 82%

Tmax = 25°C and RHmin = 54%
Determine the actual vapor pressure.

44. 1Given: Suppose a measurement of the air gave the temperature (T) to be 80°F and the relative
humidity (RH) to be 60%. Compute:
a. the saturated vapor pressure (e°)
b. the actual vapor pressure (e)
c. the dew point temperature (Td).

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IWR – Rainfall
Define the following (i) actual rainfall (ii) normal rainfall (iii) dependable rainfall (iv) dry period
(v) normal period (vi) wet period

45. Calculate the effective rainfall for the following monthly rainfall. P = 35, 90, 116, 5, 260, 75
mm
46. If the monthly ETc for the scenario is (i) 150 mm (ii) 90 mm; estimate the effective rainfall
using the USDA SCS method for a net water depth
a. 75 mm
b. 50 mm
c. 130 mm

Irrigation water requirement

47. Define the following (a) irrigation water requirement (b) scheme irrigation requirement (c)
seasonal net irrigation requirement (d) Net irrigation requirement (e) leaching requirement (f)
gross irrigation requirement (g) peak irrigation requirement (h) groundwater contribution (i)
soil water contribution (j) crop irrigation requirement (k) field application efficiency (l) field
canal efficiency (m) conveyance efficiency (n) distribution efficiency (o) scheme efficiency
48. Differentiate between conveyance efficiency and distribution efficiency
49. A 75-mm application of water measured at the pump increased the average water content of
the top 1.0 m of soil from 18 to 23% (dry-weight basis). If the average dry bulk density of the
soil is 1400 kg/m3, what is the water application efficiency?
50. A flow of 5 m3/s is diverted from a river into a canal. Of this amount 4 m 3/s is delivered to
farmland. The surface runoff from the irrigated area averages 0.7 m 3/s and the contribution to
ground water is 0.4 m3/s. What is the water conveyance efficiency? What is the water
application efficiency?
51. Determine the leaching requirement and the gross irrigation water requirement for an alfalfa
field if the salinity of the irrigation water is 1.2 dS/m, 15 days since the last irrigation, and the
average evapotranspiration rate of alfalfa is 9 mm/day. Assume no rainfall, application
efficiency is 80%, and the target yield is 100%.
52. In an irrigated area, evapotranspiration is 1655 millimeters per year, deep percolation is 695
millimeters per year, and LRr=140 mm. Electrical conductivity for irrigation water is 1.75
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 millimhoses per centimeter, soil saturation extract is 3.5 mmhos/cm (millimhoses per
centimeter), and ECp=7.0 mmhos/cm. Determine LRi and leaching percentage.
53. Calculate the net irrigation water requirement (IN) of paddy rice for the month of April when
given the following information:

ET0 = 6 mm/day
Kc = 1.1
The root zone has already been saturated in the previous month
Percolation = 5 mm/day
The water layer (100 mm) needs to be established during April
Effective rainfall, Peff = 135 mm/month
If the leaching requirement is 0.4 for 100% yield, and the scheme efficiency is 0.6, what will be
the scheme irrigation requirement in (i) millimeters (mm) (ii) cubic meters (m3)
54. You have been given the following information for an irrigation scheme:

Project: 150 ha
Cropping intensity: 200%
Short rains: wheat (Area=150 ha, In = 82 mm, LR = 0)
Long rains: maize (Area=90 ha, In = 500 mm, LR = 0.15)
Cotton (Area=650 ha, In = 650 mm, LR = 0.07)
Surface irrigation is used with a rotational supply to irrigation blocks of 20 ha, lined canal (Ep
= 0.50). Calculate the annual water supply requirement of the scheme.
55. What is the importance of peak irrigation requirement?

Soil-water-plant relationships
56. Define the following (a) soil texture (b) soil structure (c) particle density (d) bulk density (e)
gravimetric moisture content (f) volumetric moisture content (g) tilth (h) soil porosity (i) soil
compaction (j) soil moisture (k) equivalent depth of soil water (l) saturation water content (m)
field capacity (n) total available moisture (o) readily available moisture (p) critical moisture
content
57. What are the factors affecting soil structure?
58. The rooting depth of a crop is 60 cm.
a. Compute the (maximum) available moisture for the crop from the root zone (the amount
between field capacity and wilting point) for sand, loam and clay. Use the soil moisture
characteristics in your lecture notes.

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 b. If all this water has been used the crop is dead (wilting point condition). To prevent a
reduction in crop yield, the farmer will irrigate the crop when half of the available moisture
is used. If the evapotranspiration rate of the crop equals 4 mm/d, compute the irrigation
interval in the absence of precipitation.
59. In soil with a deep-water table, the root zone has a depth of 50 cm. The moisture content at
field capacity for this root zone is 28%. Just before irrigation the moisture content in the root
zone is 12%. During irrigation 110 mm of water infiltrates into the soil. How much water
percolates from the root zone into the subsoil?
60. A soil sample was taken with a core sampler from a field after irrigation when the moisture
was at field capacity. The core-sampler was 7.5 cm in diameter and 15 cm deep. The weight
of the sampler with moist soil was 2.52 kg and weight with oven dry soil was 2.34 kg. The
weight of the core sampler was 1.34 kg. Calculate the available moisture holding capacity of
the soil.
61. Two tensiometers have been established in depths of 40 and 80 centimeters, Gauged pressures
by them are 60 and 120 centimeters, respectively. Value of rainfall is 10 millimeters per day
in study area. Determine soil hydraulic conductivity
62. A crop has in effective root zone of 120 cm (1.20 m) prior to irrigation; soil samples were
taken from different depths to determine the moisture status of the soil.

Depth of root zone Weight of soil sample Weight of oven dried soil
(m) (g) (g)
0-0.30 98.80 94.60
0.30-0.60 96.60 92.10
0.60-0.90 95.00 90.60
0.90-1.20 94.00 89.40
The water holding capacity of the soil at field capacity is 19.60 cm/meter. The Specific gravity
of the soil is 1.60. Determine the moisture content in the root zone at different depths total
depth of water available in the root zone at different depths, total depth of water available in
the root zone and the soil moisture deficit.

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63. A soil sample was taken with a core samples from a field when soil reached field capacity. The
oven dry sample weighed 1.065 kg. The inside diameter of the core was 7.5 cm and the length
was 15 cm. Determine the bulk density and the apparent specific gravity of the soil.
64. Calculate the (a) bulk density, (2) water content on weight basis (mass wetness) and (c) water
content on volume basis (volume wetness) of a soil when a soil core of 10 cm diameter and 8
cm length weighs 1113.14 g immediately after sampling and 980.57 g after oven drying at
105℃
65. Find out the particle density of a soil from the following data:
a. Weight of an empty 100 cm3 pycnometer (W1) is 33.3 g
b. Weight of pycnometer + oven dry soil (W2) is 53.33 g
c. Weight of the pycnometer + soil + water making the total volume to 100 cm3 (W3) is
145.78 g
d. Weight of the pycnometer filled with 100 cm3 soil (W4) is 133.3 g
e. Density of water (ρw) is 1 g/cm3
66. Calculate the total porosity of a soil when the particle density is 2.65 g/cm 3 and the bulk density
of soil is 1.56 g/cm3.
67. A soil sample was drawn with a core sampler having an inside dimension of 10 cm diameter
and 5 cm length. The fresh and oven dry weights of the soil core were 700 g and 625 g
respectively. Calculate the bulk density of soil and soil water content on volume basis.
68. The volume of water present in a 395 cm3 soil core is 75 ml. The oven dry weight of the soil
core is 625 g. Calculate the soil water content on weight basis.
69. A 663 cm3 soil core taken by a core samples from a field weighed 1.065 kg on oven drying.
True specific gravity of the soil was 2.65. Determine the porosity of the soil.
70. A soil core was drawn with a core sampler having an inside dimension of 5 cm diameter and
15 cm length from a field two days after irrigation when the soil water was near field capacity.
The weight of the core sampler with fresh soil sample was 1.95 kg and the weight of the same
on oven drying was 1.84 kg. The empty core sampler weighted 1.4 kg. Calculate:
a. bulk density of soil
b. water holding capacity of soil in per cent on volume basis
c. depth of water held per meter depth of soil.

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71. Find out the water content of a soil on weight and volume basis just before irrigation from the
following data. The thermo-gravimetric method is followed for determination of the water
content.
a. Weight of the empty aluminum box (W1) = 35.23 g
b. Weight of the aluminum box+ fresh soil sample (W2) = 95.33 g
c. Weight of oven dry soil+ box (W3) = 85.12 g
d. Density of water (ρw) =1 g/cm3
e. Bulk density of the soil =1.54 g/cm3

Irrigation scheduling
72. Define the following (a) root zone depletion (b) maximum depletion (c) water application
depth (d) water application duration (e) unit flow (f) water application time (g) irrigation
interval (h) deficit irrigation
73. Estimate the readily available water for wheat having a 0.8-m root zone depth in a clay loam
soil. Maximum ET is 6 mm/day. What is the time between irrigations? Assuming the water
application efficiency is 70%, how much water should be delivered?
74. The following data is provided for use in irrigating a rectangular piece of land measuring 360
m by 240 m using sprinkler irrigation.
Field capacity = 22%
Permanent Wilting point = 12%
Soil water holding capacity = 1000 mm/m depth of soil
Root zone depth in the = 1.2 m
Soil bulk density = 1.2 g/cm3
Irrigation application efficiency = 80%
Using the data provided, calculate:
i. Net irrigation water requirement in mm
ii. Gross irrigation water requirement in mm
iii. Irrigation interval. There are not rainfalls during this period
iv. The volume of water in liters required to cover the whole field
75. In the table, available water has been showed in each quarter of root depth. Maximum
allowable depletion is 50 percent and daily crop water requirement is 8 millimeters.
Determine critical quarter in commence of irrigation and irrigation interval.

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 Quarter of root Soil texture Available water Allowed water
depth depletion
1 Clay loam 50 40
2 Clay loam 50 30
3 Sandy loam 20 20
4 Silty loam 60 10

76. In a two layers soil, root depth is 50 centimeters, maximum daily evapotranspiration is 8
millimeters, maximum allowable depletion is 50 percent, and application efficiency is 60
percent. The depth, moisture content characteristics and the bulk density of the soils are
given in the following table.

Soil layer Depth θm at field θm at permanent Bulk density

(cm) capacity (%) wilting point (%) (g/cm3)
Top layer 30 24 12 1.5
Bottom layer 20 20 10 1.6

Determine irrigation interval.

77. Distinguish between variable interval and fixed interval type of irrigation scheduling
78. Describe the strategies for deficit irrigation.
79. Describe any two methods that can used in real time irrigation scheduling

Sources of irrigation water

80. List the main sources of irrigation water
81. Discuss water availability of (i) rivers (ii) reservoirs and lakes (iii) groundwater
82. You have been given the following data

Month 𝑸 𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓(l/s) 𝑰𝑵𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 (l/s/ha)

1 2000 5
2 1000 2
3 300 2.5
4 200 2.5
5 400 1.5

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 Determine the critical month of the season.
83. Describe the methods used to tap water from (a) rivers (ii) lakes and reservoirs (iii)
groundwater

Water logging and salinity

84. Define (a) water logging (b) Soil salinity (c) soil alkalinity (d) land reclamation
85. Differentiate between soil salinity and alkalinity
86. What are the caused of water logging
87. What methods can be used for water logging control
88. Describe any two causes of water logging and their control measures
89. Discuss the methods that can be used for salinity control

Cross cutting questions

90. If a syphon tube of diameter 5 cm is to be used to supply water to a border strip measuring 40
m x 50 m, calculate:
a. The discharge given that the head causing the flow is 60 cm, the siphon constant is 0.65
x10-3 and gravitational acceleration is 981 cm/sec2.
b. The time taken in hours to give a 6 cm irrigation depth to the border strip.
91. A piece of land has a drainage coefficient of 20 mm. Calculate the capacity required at the
outlet end of the drainage ditch draining a water shed of 600 hectares in 24 hours.
92. Determine the water application efficiency, distribution uniformity low-quarter, and
uniformity coefficient if a stream of 85 L/s is delivered to the field for 2 hours, runoff averaged
42 L/s for 1 hour, and the depth of penetration of the water varied linearly from 1.6 m at the
upper end to 1.2 m at the lower end of the field. The root zone depth is 1.6 m.
93.

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