Effect of fertilizer solution concentrations on filter clogging in drip fertigation systems
Introduction
Drip irrigation systems can be used for fertilization, which can reduce fertilizer use, increase crop yield, and minimize the impact of fertilizer on the environment (Hernandez et al., 1991, Hanson et al., 2006, Ajdary et al., 2007, Li et al., 2016, Jayakumar et al., 2017). Therefore, drip fertigation is an efficient and precise fertilization method. However, the use of fertilizer contributes to the formation and development of clogging substances in the drip fertigation systems, and excessive fertilizer solution concentration aggravate the clogging process (Liu et al., 2017, Tang et al., 2018), reduce the service life of the system, and cause uneven fertilization, eventually resulting in a decrease in economic benefits. Meanwhile, drip fertigation is a commonly used method in arid and semi-arid regions for water and fertilizer-saving. Consequently, research on the anti-clogging performance of drip fertigation systems has practical significance for the widely use of the system.
To enhance the anti-clogging performance of drip fertigation systems, it is necessary for the used equipment to have efficient performance. Filters are the key equipment to prevent impurities in drip irrigation systems (Oron et al., 1979, McDonald et al., 1984, Tripathi et al., 2014), and their good hydraulic performance can ensure the efficient operation of the systems. Wu et al. (2015) found that the filtration efficiency of sand filters was 11.4–48.0%, which increased when used with disc filters. Many scholars have studied filter hydraulic parameters to evaluate the anti-clogging performance of different filters. Duran-Ros et al. (2009) concluded that the flow rate of emitters protected by disc filters had the smallest change when compared with other filters. Ribeiro et al. (2008) showed that the head loss changes in disc filters were more significant than those in non-woven synthetic fabric filters. Zong et al. (2012) studied the relationship between the filter head loss and flow rate when using muddy water, and thought that the head loss was a key parameter to evaluate filter performance.
Fertilizer solution concentration is another key factor that affects the clogging of drip fertigation systems. Various ions and impurities in fertilizer solutions react with the ions in water to form insoluble precipitates, thereby increasing the clogging degree of the drip fertigation system (Haynes, 1985, Li et al., 2007). Tang et al. (2018) stated that the fertilizer solution concentration was one of the factors affecting fertilization uniformity, and poor fertilization uniformity can lead to the clogging of drip irrigation systems. Li et al. (2015) inferred that the clogging effect of emitters was more obvious at higher fertilizer concentrations. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for the growth of crops (Yamaji et al., 2017); however, the excessive use of phosphate fertilizer can easily cause water and soil pollution. Therefore, it is best to use drip irrigation systems to effectively use phosphate fertilizer. Studies have shown that phosphate fertilizer aggravate the clogging of drip irrigation systems, but the clogging risk of drip fertigation systems can be reduced by setting appropriate system operation patterns (Zhou et al., 2015, Tang et al., 2018). The anti-clogging performance of drip fertigation systems can be improved when fertilizer solution concentrations are matched with the performance of the filtration systems.
Research on the anti-clogging performance of drip irrigation systems has focused on the independent performance of each device and emitter clogging (Pei et al., 2014, Zhou et al., 2016, Feng et al., 2017). Studies on the filter anti-clogging performance are mostly based on the impurities in the water source, without considering the effect of fertilizers. Therefore, the fertilization process, filtration performance, and clogging substances of filters in drip fertigation systems need further study.
The objectives of this study were to (1) evaluate the uniformity of the fertilizer solution concentration under different combinations of injection rates and fertilizer-water ratios in drip fertigation systems; (2) explore the effects of different fertilizer solution concentrations on the hydraulic performance of filters, and the clogging substances of screen and disc filters. The results of this study will provide a reference for the anti-clogging research, aiming to promote the integrated water and fertilizer technology of drip fertigation systems in arid and semi-arid regions.
Section snippets
Experiment designs
The drip fertigation experiments were carried out in the Shiyang River Ecological Water Saving Experimental Station in Gansu Province from April to October of 2017, with a pre-experiment and field experiment, respectively. The Shiyang River Station is located on the edge of the Tengger Desert, which is a typical drought-deficient area, with an average elevation of 1581 m and drought index of 5–25. The annual average rainfall and evaporation of the station is 160 mm and 2000 mm, respectively.
Uniformity of fertilizer solution concentrations
The changes of fertilizer solution concentration at the outlet of the proportional fertilizer pump using different injection rates (4%, 3%, 2%) and fertilizer-water ratios (1: 4, 1: 5, and 1: 6) are shown in Fig. 2. The fertilizer solution concentrations remained stable during the operation of the drip fertigation systems, indicating that the proportional fertilizer pump had efficient running performance. The Christiansen coefficient, distribution uniformity, and statistical uniformity of the
Discussion
Fertilization and filtration equipment are critical for avoiding emitter clogging when water and fertilizer integrated technology is applied in drip fertigation systems. Filtration can be used to reduce system clogging from the source of the drip fertigation systems, reduce the risk of emitter clogging, and achieve the large-scale application of drip fertigation systems. Additionally, the fertilizer solution concentrations and clogging substances in drip fertigation systems can affect the
Conclusion
Studying the uniformity of fertilization and the effect of different fertilizer solution concentrations on filter clogging are the basis for the use of drip fertigation systems in the field application. This study used scanning electron microscopy and EDS to evaluate clogging substances, with the aim of studying the formation mechanism of clogging in drip fertigation systems, and ease system clogging that may induce system failure.
In the drip fertigation system, the proper injection rate can
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (5207090669), the Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest of China (201503125) and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC0400203).
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