04227 - Irrigation and Drainage

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will know irrigation and drainage systems, elements releted to projectation. He will developed the understanding of selection criteria applied in farm drainage systems and computation with economic evaluation;the understanding of criteria for the selection of irrigation systems and functional parameters and their calculation;the understanding of problems concerning irrigation water collective distribution.

 

Course contents

Formative Pre-requirements

The student must own a basic preparation thanks to studied principles of mathematics and physics and to some notions of agronomy and agro-meteorology. These pre-requirements are provided by the respective courses of the Bachelor’s degree.

Unit 1 - Irrigation (24 hours)

- Base concepts and definition of the fundamental quantities - classification of the irrigation according to agronomic and territorial criterions, necessity and convenience of the irrigation.

- Gravitational methods of irrigation (sliding, infiltration, submersion).

- Methods of irrigation in pressure: sprinkling - constitutive elements, typologies of business systems, self-propelled systems, typology and characterization of the irrigators.

- Methods of irrigation in pressure: micro-irrigation - constitutive elements with particular attention to nozzles, systems of filtering, fertirrigation.

- Pump systems and other equipment: classification of the pumps, fundamental quantities, characterization of pumps and other equipment.

Competences acquired in unit 1

The student possesses the correct technical approach in the context of the explained techniques of irrigation.

The student is able to choose the suitable technique of irrigation in relation to the different business realities.

The student knows criterions to calculate the principal parameters of irrigation.

Unit 2 - Drainage (6 hours)

- Relationship between water and drainage.

- Classification of the types of drains and their respective use: horizontal drainage, vertical drainage.

Competences acquired in unit 2

The student is able to identify the characteristic elements of both superficial and underground systems of drainage.

The student recognizes the most proper setup for the drainage of the water in excess.

Unit 3 - Exercises and didactic visits (10 hours)

- Design of irrigation systems, examples.

- Didactic/field visit.

Competences acquired in unit 3

In a specific context, the student is able to choose the most suitable scheme of irrigation.

The student understands the studied tools in the field.

Readings/Bibliography

-Lecture notes of the teacher on "Irrigation and Drainage" of the Teacher (in pdf format on the web or copied at the Central Library)
  Texts for further information:
 -C.Costantinidis-General and Applied Hydraulics agrarian-Edagricole
 -Dissemination Center-Agricultural Irrigation Methods-Edagricole
 -Emilia-Romagna Microirrigazione-Department of Agriculture-Series Studies and Research
Louis-Gardens-underground drainage-tube Edagricole
-Angel-Trisoldi L'Irrigazione-Edagricole
-A.Capra, B.Scicolone: ​​ Design and Management of irrigation systems, Edagricole

Teaching methods

The course is divided into three teaching units: the first and the second parts are theory lectures, while the third part is composed by specific exercises or seminars on key topics covered by the course or specific experiences. In more details, the first theory unit will explain the problems related to the irrigation, the second will show the topic of drainage, while the third will focus on practical applications of topics with examples of calculations and technical-economic management on drainage and irrigation.

 

Assessment methods

This teaching is part of the Course INTEGRATED: AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY, IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE with the following other teaching: Technique of agricultural mechanization.
Therefore, the evaluation of the course takes into account jointly the level of knowledge and skills acquired by the student in relation to the contents of all of the above teachings. The knowledge and skills taught in this course are evaluated in the following way: the final exam which will test the student knowledge and skills acquired during the teaching is an oral exam (it will last about 30 minutes) during which the student have to explain some topics (freely chosen) among those listed in the program of the teaching.

Teaching tools

Blackboard, overhead projector, computer, internet access. All the lessons are carried out with the help of Power Point presentations.

Office hours

See the website of Attilio Toscano