There has always been some debate about the best height for nozzles, and Derrel Martin has heard it all.
“Some producers have decided to reposition devices at the truss rod height back on top of the pivot pipeline due to the tall corn varieties being grown today,” the University of Nebraska engineer observes. “Others opt to place sprinklers down in the canopy to try to save water. But any comparison between the options should always be between the best-designed sprinklers for above the canopy vs. in-canopy sprinkler packages for a given field in a specific location and water supply.”
Martin shares a few considerations for comparing sprinkler packages, especially if the rotation includes corn or taller crops.
The challenges of getting uniformity – while preventing runoff or water moving within the field – is greatly increased when sprinklers are placed in the crop canopy, Martin observes. “Spacing needs to be close (5 feet or less is best) but not more than 7.5 feet.”
Still, sprinkler packages placed in the canopy have some potential to increase the efficiency.
“More research is needed to fully quantify the evaporation, transpiration, runoff, and deep percolation for an array of fields with varying slopes and soils,” he says.
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Advantages and disadvantages to nozzles above and below the canopy – Successful Farming
