Insectigation in Vegetable Crops: The Application of Insecticides Through a Drip, or Trickle, Irrigation System

Abstract

Drip, or trickle, irrigation can be defined as a method of uniformly delivering water to a plant’s root zone through point or line sources (emitters) on or below the soil surface at a small operating pressure (Dasberg & Or, 1999). Modern drip irrigation systems use low pressure (~34.48-68.95 kPa [5-10 psi]) to force water through plastic or metal tubing with emitters spaced at regular intervals down it’s length to deliver water to the plant’s root zone, and can be either a surface system (tubing on top of the soil) or a subsurface system (tubing buried beneath the soil). Water savings with drip irrigation can be as high as 80% compared with other irrigation methods (Bogle & Hartz, 1986).