Abstract:
This study was conducted to design an effective semi- portable sprinkler irrigation system that should be adopted for chili cultivation so as to keep production continuous even during the dry seasons of the tropical climate of Uganda especially West Nile. The major components -of the semi-portable irrigation system are the sprinklers, movable lateral pipes, fixed sub-main pipes, and fixed main pipes and fixed pumping plant. The use of movable lateral pipes lowers the total. initial investment of irrigation by up to about 50%.
Design parameters had to be determined so as to design and effective irrigation system for the target area and these were, Crop: water requirement of chili (capsicum soil infiltration rate; stream discharge and the topography. of the field. The- semi-portable sprinkler irrigation system was designed for an area of 4.8 Ha, having system capacity of 23m 3/hr and irrigation frequency of 8 days A Computer simulation was also run to analyze the system performance and the -results showed that for the 1.3Hp: pump selected, the system would perform normally.
Finally, and economic analysis was carried out using the payback period. This showed that if the system is used effectively with proper agronomic practices to attain 90% yield, the cost of investment will be regained in. the first year. Additionally, the same system can also be used for other crops other than chili with a little alteration in the scheduling and time of operation.
