Improving the Uniformity of Emitter Air Bubble Delivery during Oxygation

Abstract

Drip irrigation may be used to deliver water and air to plant root systems, although uniformity of air bubble delivery along the irrigation line is an issue. Use of 1.2 ppm of a nonionic surfactant (alcohol alkoxylate) in an open-end drip irrigation system increased the Christiansen uniformity coefficient (CUC) of the emitter air flow rates to 80%, compared to 20% without surfactant. In a closed-end irrigation system, addition of 32 ppm surfactant raised the CUC of the emitter air flow rates from 1 to 23% for the symmetric connectors and from