Turf Sprinkler Irrigation Systems

Abstract

The green industry, which includes turf and landscape irrigation, has an economic impact in the United States of $150 billion/year. Effective turf irrigation systems keep turf areas healthy and attractive and use water efficiently, which are the primary goals of turf irrigation. This chapter begins with a review of sprinkler system layout and spacing. The Sprinkler Uniformity program allows the user to visualize and quantify the effect of spacing on uniformity. This is followed by an economic rationale for sprinkler spacing. The last section covers sprinkler pipe network design and scheduling calculations. There is a range of turf sprinkler types. Fixed spray sprinklers cover small areas (<5 m radius). They have a relatively high flow rate with respect to their small radius of application, which results in a high application rate (30 mm/hr). Rotors and impact sprinklers cover a larger area (>5 m radius) and have a lower application rate (<25 mm/hr) than fixed spray sprinklers. Large golf course sprinklers operate at high pressure and can have 50 m wetted diameters.