INNOVATIVE AND COST-EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE SYSTEM TO DRIP IRRIGATION IN POLYHOUSE FARMING

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present invention discloses a cost-effective alternative system to drip irrigation in polyhouse farming (100), including a water tank(101) and a water supply (102) for filling of the tank. Embodiments may also include a number of water taps (103) at the bottom of the tank, with simple pipes(104) attached to the taps for supply of water to the ridges in the field. It also includes a set of porous pipes(105) connected the simple pipes (104) through connectors (108) and spread out over the ridges throughout the field. Embodiments may also include a set of water filters (106) installed throughout the pipeline to prevent blockages and contamination of the irrigation water. Embodiments may also include a pressure regulator (107) installed on the tank to increase or decrease the flow of water to the pipes. The system is designed to be a replacement and improvement over the traditional drip irrigation systems. Dated this ……. Day of September, 2024 Dr. Monica Gulati Registrar Lovely Professional University

Specification

Description:The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS AND PRIORITY
[001] The present application does not claim priority from any patent application.
PREAMBLE
[002] The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[003] The present subject matter described herein, in general, relates to Irrigation systems in Agriculture, and more particularly, toDrip Irrigation in Polyhouse Farming.
BACKGROUND
[004] Drip irrigation or trickle irrigation is a type of micro-irrigation system that has the potential to save water and nutrients by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either from above the soil surface or buried below the surface.
[005] Conventionally, drip irrigation systems require a number of components such as a closed circuit of narrow pipes with holes in them at regular intervals, a pressure pump to circulate water throughout the pipes, a water tank as a source of water, a source of electricity and a control panel. All these components make the choice of installing a drip irrigation system in the field an expensive one. Furthermore, these drip irrigation systems only last for 5-7 years and face problems such as blockages and cracking of pipes.
[006] Presently, drip irrigation is the method of choice for irrigation in polyhouses, as other methods like, sprinkler and flood irrigation is not viable in polyhouses. However, drip irrigation is highly expensive and complicated to install and operate and not every farmer has the finances or access to drip irrigation facilties. These limitations create the need for a cost-effective and relatively simple innovation to act as an alternative to drip irrigation.
[007] The prior art US10980196B (hereafter referred to as patent '196) discloses a perforated sub irrigation and drainage pipe includes a pipe body and a permeation irrigation inner pipe. The permeation irrigation inner pipe is integrally formed with the pipe body and disposed at a top of an interior of the pipe body along a longitudinal direction thereof; multiple irrigation perforations, distributed along a longitudinal direction of the permeation irrigation inner pipe, are provided on a pipe wall of a bottom thereof; and an opening is provided on a pipe wall of a bottom of the pipe body; two flow guide baffles are respectively located at two sides of the opening and on an inner wall of the pipe body; a first irrigation and drainage channel is formed between each flow guide baffle and an outer wall of the permeation irrigation inner pipe, between each flow guide baffle and the inner wall of the pipe body, and between the two flow guide baffles. However, the patent '196 requires automation and very sophisticated components, which increase its cost and decreases its ease-of-use.
[008] The prior art CN207284425U (hereafter known as patent '425) discloses kind of cultivation greenhouse with water supply installation, including ceiling, column, cross bar, supporting rod, sink, drainage pipeline, water tank, water pump, inlet channel, slide, sliding block, watering pipeline and sprinkler tip. The beneficial effects of the utility model are Rainwater on ceiling converges in the sink of both sides under the effect of gravity, rainwater is avoided to drop onto ground, cause soil erosion, influence the growth of crops, ponding in sink is dumped to water tank by drainage pipeline, rainwater is set to be collected, supply water to the crops in greenhouse, reach water-saving purpose, water is transmitted to watering pipeline by water tank by water pump, it is simple in structure, water supplying operation is carried out easy to plant personnel, watering pipeline is slided under the action of sliding block along slide, it is good to pour effect, improve the work efficiency of watering, at the same time can be cost-effective, reduce labor intensity. However, the patent '425 includes a combination of the greenhouse with water supply and no separate water supply system for installation if the greenhouse is already installed. Consequently, in the patent '425 the water supply system is installed on the ceiling of the greenhouse and not on the ground.
[009] The prior art CN213306554U (hereafter referred to as patent '554) discloses a greenhouse drip irrigation device. The greenhouse drip irrigation device comprises a water delivery pipe, ground grabbing water delivery components and drip irrigation water delivery components, wherein the water delivery pipe is divided into a drip irrigation containing pipeline and an irrigation containing pipeline which are distributed up and down through a horizontal partition plate, a plurality of groups of ground grabbing water delivery components with the same specification are respectively installed on the water delivery pipes on two sides of the irrigation containing pipeline, and a plurality of groups of drip irrigation water delivery components with the same specification are respectively installed on the water delivery pipes on two sides of the drip irrigation containing pipeline. The utility model discloses when the plant needs a large amount of water liquid to water, open water supply system's switch and make water liquid in the irrigation appearance way carry out rapid water supply watering to the plant from L type pre-buried pipe, improve the speed of watering, water liquid can permeate plant roots fast simultaneously, plant growth's thriving has been improved, when the plant needs the jar that drips of small range, open water supply system's switch makes water liquid in the irrigation appearance way carry out slow bit to the plant from L type hang empty pipe in the toper point burette, the growth state is improved. However, the patent '554 includes a highly sophisticated and complicated system with specific and expensive components, which the present invention eliminates the need for while achieving the same or better results.
[0010] The present invention addresses the above shortcomings of the prior art. However, the invention is entirely different from the prior art in terms of novelty and technological advancements.
OBJECT
[0011] The present invention is to provide an innovative and cost-effective alternative system to drip irrigation in polyhouse farming. It aims to provide water to polyhouse crops directly near the root zone without the need of installing an expensive and complicated drip irrigation system.
[0012] The invention also aims to save water losses at the individual farmer level by minimizing deep percolation and evaporation of water.
SUMMARY
[0013] The disclosure of the present invention discloses a cost-effective alternative system to the drip irrigation for polyhouse farming (100), designed to eliminate or minimize the establishment and running costs associated with conventional drip irrigation systems.
[0014] The irrigation system features a water tank (101) positioned at an elevated height to provide gravity or pressurized flow. From the tank, water is channelled through a network of simple connecting pipes (104) to a series of porous pipes (105) laid out across the fields within the polyhouse. These porous pipes (105) are designed to release water slowly and evenly, ensuring uniform irrigation of the crops.
[0015] A filtration system (106) is installed between the water tank (101) and the porous pipes (105) to remove impurities and prevent clogging. Additionally, a pressure regulator (107) is used to maintain consistent water pressure, while control valves along the distribution network allow for precise adjustment of water flow to different sections of the polyhouse.
[0016] This streamlined design provides an efficient, cost-effective alternative to traditional drip irrigation systems by utilizing gravity or controlled pressure to deliver water directly to the crops.
[0017] Some embodiments of the system, may also include many components, such as pipe connectors (108) to join the different pipes at various points in the field, water taps (103) connected at the bottom of the water tank (101) for controlling the water flow in different section of the polyhouse and a water supply (102) for filling up the water tank regularly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0018] The foregoing detailed description of embodiments is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating of the present subject matter, an example of construction of the present subject matter is provided as figures; however, the invention is not limited to the specific method disclosed in the document and the figures.
[0019] FIGURE. 1: is a block diagram illustrating the components of the Irrigation system, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0020] FIGURE. 2: is a flow chart further illustrating the working and sequence of the components from Figure 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] Some of the embodiments of this disclosure, illustrating all its features will now be discussed in detail. The words "comprising," "having," "containing," and "including," and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open-ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0022] Before the present an innovative and cost-effective alternative system to drip irrigation in polyhouse farming is described, it is to be understood that this method is not limited to the particular system(s), and methodologies described, as there can be multiple possible embodiments that are not expressly illustrated in the present disclosure. It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description is to describe the particular implementations or versions or embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application. This summary is provided to introduce aspects involved in the innovative and cost-effective alternative system to drip irrigation in polyhouse farming. This summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter nor is it intended for use in determining or limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0023] The present invention discloses an innovative and cost-effective alternative system to drip irrigation in polyhouse farming (100). It comprises of a water tank (101) for storing and supplying water to the rest of the system, a water supply (102) to fill up the water tank (101), set of water taps (103) attached to the bottom of the water tank (101) for water control, a set of simple pipes (104) connected to the water taps to supply water to different sections of the polyhouse field, a set of porous pipes (105) spread over the ridges of the crop and connected to the simple supply pipes (104), water filters (106) fitted in the pipes to prevent blockages of the pipes, a pressure regulator (107) fit near the water tank (101) to adjust the flow of water through the system, and connectors (108) for connecting the different pipes together at various points through the system. Together, these components form an irrigation system, which is highly inexpensive, highly water and power efficient, easy to operate and it may be modified for any kind of polyhouse layout.
[0024] The water tank (101) is placed on an elevated platform at a height greater than the field level, to allow for the water to flow under the effect of gravity, thereby eliminating the need for a water pressure pump, this allows for the irrigation system to run autonomously, without the requirement of a power source. This greatly decreases the cost of operation required, making the system much more cost-effective. The water tank (101) is made up of durable polyethylene material, which can last for at least 10 years. The capacity of the water tank may be anywhere from 1000 to 5000 liters depending on the need polyhouse, crop and the availability of water.
[0025] The water supply (102) for filling up the water tank (101), can either be a borewell which pumps ground water, or supply from canal water, or from rainwater harvesting, depending on the availability of water source.
[0026] The water supply pipes, both simple (104) and porous (105) can be made from PVC or HDPE to increase durability and reduce cost and to also be able to withstand changes in temperature and pressure.
[0027] The water filters (106) may include a set of filters of different kinds, such as a sediment filter for large particles and a finer filter for smaller impurities. This prevents blockages from occurring in the piping. This ensures clean water supply and prolongs the life of the irrigation system.
[0028] The water taps (103) can be used to connect the pipes to the tank and to enable a great deal of flexibility and control to the farmer to supply water to different sections of the field at different points of time.
[0029] The pipe connectors (108) may be of different shapes to allow for flexibility in connecting the different kinds of pipes at several different points on the field. The connectors may be of sturdy material to be able to withstand twisting and turning forces of the pipes and the flow of water. These connectors allow for a easy assembly and disassembly, allowing for easy maintenance and adjustments if and when needed.
[0030] Some embodiments of the system may allow for other components to be added for further improvement of the system, such as solar powered pump for water supply to tank, a separate tank at the other end of the pipeline for the reuse of the remaining water after irrigation of field.
[0031] Some embodiments of the system may also be adapted and implemented in open field conditions for certain suitable crops, depending on the availability of water and capital and the conditions of the region, as the system is highly water and cost-efficient ans easy to use.
[0032] In some embodiments, the irrigation system may also include a control panel for the water supply pump to the tank, along with a pressure gauge to measure and adjust the water pressure at various pressure valves, and to also identify and locate leaks and blockages within the pipes.
Dated this ……. Day of September, 2024
Dr. Monica Gulati
Registrar
Lovely Professional University
, Claims:We claim:
1. An innovative and cost-effective alternative system to drip irrigation in polyhouse farming (100), comprising:
a. a water supply (102) for supplying water to the water tank;
b. a water tank (101) for storing the water, placed on an elevated platform to supply water under the effect of gravity;
c. simple pipes (104) connecting the water tank to various points within the polyhouse;
d. porous pipes (105) installed along crop ridges for direct soil irrigation;
e. adjustable water taps (103) for controlling the flow of water to specific crop areas;
f. water filters (106) integrated into the system to ensure clean water delivery and prevent blockage;
g. a pressure regulator (107) to maintain consistent water pressure throughout the system;
h. pipe connectors (108) for assembling the various components of the system.
2. The cost-effective alternative system according to claim 1, wherein the water tank (101) is constructed of UV resistant polyethylene to last a long time.
3. The cost-effective alternative system according to claim 1, wherein the water pipes (104) are made up of highly durable and resistant material such as PVC or HDPE and have different diameters.
4. The cost-effective alternative system according to claim 1, wherein the porous pipes (105) either have holes through them at regular intervals, or are made up of semi permeable materials.
5. The cost-effective alternative system according to claim 1, wherein the water taps (103) are adjustable and durable, allowing for flexible irrigation based on specific crop requirements and plant growth stages.
6. The cost-effective alternative system according to claim 1, wherein the water filters (106) installed are of different sizes to filter out the small and large sized impurities.
7. The cost-effective alternative system according to claim 1, wherein the pressure regulator (107) is installed at the outlet of the water tank to maintain optimal water pressure for the porous pipes, depending on the water level in the water tank (101).
8. The cost-effective alternative system according to claim 1, wherein the pipe connectors are made up of sturdy material to withstand force and water pressure and are designed for easy installation and removal to allow for easy maintenance.
9. The cost-effective alternative system according to claim 1, wherein the entire system is designed to be modular, to be able to fit individual farmer and farm needs, and also to be highly water and energy efficient as well as cost-effective.
Dated this ……. Day of September, 2024
Dr. Monica Gulati
Registrar
Lovely Professional University

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