Chemical treatment to unclogg dripper irrigation systems due to biological problems

Abstract

Many producers use drippers for trickle irrigation systems for flower production in the field and in protected environments. A frequent problem in this type of irrigation system is the clogging of drippers, which is directly related to water quality and filtering system efficiency. The objective of this study was to conduct an experimental investigation to evaluate the efficiency of using nitric acid and sodium hypochlorite to unclogg drippers due to the use of water with high algae content. The evaluation was conducted in six, 4216 m² greenhouses, each with two sectors comprised of ten spaces or lines, totaling 12 sectors of a dripper irrigation system in a rose producing property of Holambra, State of SP, Brazil. Chemical and physical analyses and the bacteriological count in water were carried out in the three water sources that supply the irrigation system to check the factors causing the clogging. Evaluations were carried out on water distribution uniformity in all sectors before and after chemical treatment in order to evaluate efficiency. The treatment improved water distribution uniformity and a lead to a reduction in the coefficient of variation (CV) for dripper flow in all sectors. There was a good correlation between CV and the water distribution uniformity index. Therefore, this is an excellent method to be used to unclogg drippers due to biological problems.