Technical and scientific changes induced by the new technology: the buried diffuser for "underground irrigation" and for "water injection and conservation" in the deep soil layers.

Published on by

The buried diffuser is a "revolution" in the domain of irrigation water saving and the domain of drought combating and water ressources preservation and conservation.

At the technical and the scientific levels, the use of the buried diffuser will induce changes in the methodology of calculation of the crops water needs. The change concerns the elimination of the parameter "E" (evaporation) which is combined with "T" (transpiration) in the "ET" ( evapo-transpiration). This is because when we use the buried diffuser there is no evaporation.

The change is also in the determination of technical specifications of the different components of the irrigation system (size of the pipes, power of the pumps, water flow needed, etc.). When the buried diffuser is used by gravity there is no need of pump to make pressure (like in drip irrigation).

The concept of "anticipated irrigation" will induce change in irrigation frequency: in equilabrated textured soil trial has shown that for olive trees plantation in north ofTunisia , the trees are irrigated only twice per year! The concept of "water injection and concervation" in the deep soil layers will induce changes in the manners of waterresources mobilization and planning. This notion of water storage in the deep soil layers, will induce a new strategy to combat droughts and adaptation to climate change: trials in soutehern Tunisia have demostrated that it is possible, by using the buried diffusers, to store during the rainy years, the total adult tree water need of 3 years. This means that ifof this storage of this needhas been done, the tree will not suffer during 3 next dry years.