IRRIGATION EFFICIENCY (I.E.)

Basically, the efficiency associated with water application. Generally, the loss of water in transit from a reservoir, point of diversion, or ground water pump to the point of use, whether in natural channels or in artificial ones, such as canals, ditches, and laterals. More specifically, the percentage of water applied, and which can be accounted for, in the soil-moisture increase for Crop Consumptive Use, i.e., the Crop Requirement. It is defined as the ratio of the volume of water required for a specific Beneficial Use as compared to the volume of water delivered, or applied, for this purpose. It is commonly interpreted as the volume of water stored in the soil for Evapotranspiration compared to the volume of water delivered for this purpose, but may be defined and used in different ways. The Distribution Uniformity (DU) of a field's irrigation system is one of the limiting factors of a system's irrigation efficiency.