Education Commons^™

G97-1340 Firming Irrigation Furrows To Improve Irrigation Performance (Revised November 1999), Dean E. Eisenhauer, C. Dean Yonts

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide describes how using a furrow firming wheel improves furrow irrigation performance.

Nearly half of the irrigated acres in Nebraska are furrow irrigated. Higher pumping costs, water restrictions and water shortages are all factors encouraging efficiency-improving irrigation practices. Generally, reduced efficiency with furrow irrigation occurs in two ways: runoff or deep percolation. Although hard to eliminate, runoff can be controlled by: tailwater reuse systems; changing furrow stream size; or changing irrigation set time. Deep percolation is the loss of water below the root zone. The amount of deep percolation caused by irrigation is difficult to estimate unless irrigation application …