Characterizing the Performance of Keke Emitter in Drip Irrigation System

Abstract

Rural farmers in Nigeria barely meet the cost of drip irrigation equipment because it is expensive. They resort to acquiring polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes, medi – emitters, syringes needles, etc., as improvised emitters and install them in irrigation farms. This study uses a bicycle (Keke) air pressure valve as an emitter on the drip irrigation system. Rural farmers use air pressure valves to inflate their bicycle tubes, which is affordable and generally acceptable. The calibration and performance evaluation of the Keke emitter was done on sandy loam soil. The experiment involved using the Keke emitter to discharge water at 5, 10 and 20 minutes. Discharges were selected randomly and calculated using the volumetric method. It was observed that variations in flow volumes along the laterals are minor.  For the 5, 10 and 20 minutes of applications, the average discharge was calculated to be 5.67, 10.48 and 20.3 Lh^-1, respectively. Correspondingly, the uniformity coefficient was found to be 96.8%, 97.0% and 98.4%, and distribution uniformity was 97.4%, 98.1% and 98.9%, respectively. The uniformity coefficient was high, which describes the emitter as proper for discharging water into the field. This is a new dimension in economic drip irrigation technology and exploiting cheap materials in drip irrigation systems, especially for rural farmers in Nigeria and beyond.