Evaluation of Plant Growth with Aerated Irrigation Water Using Venturi Pipe Part

A venturi pipe part (VPP) allows air bubbles to be inserted into flowing water from air inlet holes and so increases dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in irrigation water. The DO helps the roots absorb nutrients at a faster rate, and can increase a plant's growth rate by up to 30 %. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to evaluate design considerations and experimental results related to characteristics of VPP in air vacuum and aeration process. Optimal flow velocity in venturi inlet is determined between 1 and 4 m/s for aeration process. For starting of air vacuum process, minimum flow velocity is determined as 0.80 m/s. The ratio of the throat diameter of VPP to the inlet diameter of VPP equals to 0.5. Also, the ratio of the air vent diameter of VPP to the throat diameter of VPP equals to 0.3. Volumetric air flowrate decreases with increasing pipe length. In addition, the effect of aerated water on plant growth is tested with a case study. The case study is carried out on growth of the onion (Allium cepa) samples. In result of this test, aerated water is capable for plant growth of the onion (A. cepa) samples. However, it increased the plant's growth rate by 27 %. Thus, irrigation projects can be planned with both VPP (AirJection Irrigation) and subsurface drip irrigation systems.