Multiset Surface Irrigation System

More than 80 per cent of the irrigated land in the United States is served by surface irrigation systems, of which about 90 per cent is furrow-irrigated. The furrow irrigation system has been used extensively because of its relative simplicity, adaptability, and low initial investment for most soils and cropping systems. This use has persisted for many decades even though soil and water losses may be high on many fields. Efficiencies are generally low in most furrow-irrigated fields, although irrigation efficiency can be relatively high in surface systems that are well designed, constructed and operated