Is Drip Irrigation for You?

摘要

Research at New Mexico State University shows how to determine crop coefficients for drip-irrigated Xeriscapes—saving time, labor and precious water resources. The population of the southwestern U.S.—and the concurrent demand for the limited water supplies of the region— has increased dramatically over the past 50 years. As a result, many municipalities in the region have implemented incentives to insure that adequate fresh water be available to satisfy this rising demand. Incentives have includedincreasing-block water rate structures, water-use restrictions, penalties for water waste or cash rewards for removal of high water-use landscape plants such as turfgrass. In response, urban landscapes in the West are increasingly being converted from sprinkler-irrigated, imported turfgrass lawns to drip-irrigated Xeriscapes consisting of native plants or plants more suitable to the arid or semi-arid environments typical of this region. While this measure has the potential to conserve water, savings may not be realized if irrigation management strategies are not developed that match irrigation volumes to the water required by each plant to exhibit acceptable growth and quality in the Xeriscape.