07-11-2014, 10:24 AM
Abstracts: The first irrigation methods consisted of water being carried by buckets and poured over the crops. This method was very hard and time consuming, especially for larger crops. Later on, animal power was used to carry more water, but that was still not sufficient. Our ancestors even tried diverting the course of some creeks to go directly to their crops. Modern water supply and irrigation systems can be simple or complex, depending on what is needed. If the climate is hot, and the crop needs constant irrigation, growers may set up a permanent system. This is made out of two main components: the water supply system and the irrigation system. The water supply system is built from pipes that lead from the water source, which may be a river, lake, creek or fountain, to the crop. In areas where irrigation is needed only periodically, growers can use a simple hose instead of pipe system. The second component of the system is the actual irrigation system, which is usually one of several types.