Hi, I am back with a question…we are planning to.have 9*9 areca plantation on our one acre and going with drip irrigation. Can people please pour in your suggestions or recommendation for the following question
how often they have to be replaced because of rat bite or peacock bites
basically we want to know if we should go with a cheap pipe and replace every year or go with good quality pipe with 5 year warranty
Please help
If you have budget go for 1/2 inch ISI hdpe pipe, it will save you from rat bite, brush cutter cuts, and other accidental leakage. You can expect lifespan of 25 years or more.
Sir you mean 16mm lateral pipes?? Any specific company?
No lateral, I mean hdpe pipe of 1/2 inch which mostly used in submersibles. You can buy any brand but ISI mark is a must. Sending link just for reference.
Hi,
I am going to take a slightly different stab at this.
Please make the decision based on the following criteria:
Cash flows from income: the difference between real good varieties like Rivulus/Netafim as compared to cheap ones is really huge. Putting down the money upfront for a high quality one does not make sense until you have regular cash flow. I will consider an intermediate one.
Subsidy: If you are getting government subsidy then you should go for a high quality one. Low quality ones are not eligible for subsidies.
Tampering: Bites from peacocks, hens, rats, rabbits are not very common except for maybe the summer months when water sources are scarce. If you maintain a small water pool/puddle near one end of the plot it will divert the attention of the birds at least. Herds of animals like deer et al is another story. They will chew on the drips. Quality does not matter. If the farm is fenced, then you do not have to worry about it. Good quality laterals are stolen as well if they are rolled up. Fencing avoids these incidences as well.
Type of emitters: If the emitter types are pressure compensated then it makes sense to go for good quality laterals.
Whatever the choice you make, always invest in the best quality sub mains/piping. They are underneath the soil and frequent maintenance is expensive.
Kou
ThnQ Very Much in Provide an Opportunity in answer your Question.
If the Rat Problems are there even you go for " 1/2 inch ISI hdpe pipe, it will not save you from rat bite, and cannot expect the lifespan of 25 years or more". as our Brother Suggests. However you can expect up to 10 Yrs or more .
If you go for any Pipe Rats can damage. 1/2" is not suitable for DRIP IRRIGATION. Ideal suitable size for DRIP IRRIGATION is 16mm .
peacocks will not bite/Damage the Pipe if you put some water pots in your Land.
I am suggesting you Don’t go for Netafem . In the Case of Netafem you cannot clean the Dippers when chocked / Jammed. I am suggesting you to go far Jain Irrigation.
If you are in nearer to Hyderabad / Telangana we will arrange the Drip on Turnkey Basis.
Interesting question.
Comparing inline laterals for self funded drip for vegetables, the cheapest flat drip tape would be about 1.5 - 2 a meter while a proper branded round lateral pipe would be 8-10 a meter (at least 5 times costlier).
Assuming the life of drip tape is atleast an year when well maintained, you could replace it 5 times for same cost of a branded round lateral (with an approx 5 year life too), and not have to make an upfront investment.
With this in mind, we have been using drip tape for our veggies. Of course, the calculation would be different for tree crops, and there are also intermediate type round laterals of different qualities and life, costing Rs. 3-6 a meter. The assumptions on life of tape/pipe change the calculations too.