Irrigation sprinkler
An irrigation device that distributes water over crops or landscaping through nozzles as droplets or jets, usually using a pressurized supply.
Sprinkler nozzle: A shaped outlet that controls the direction, flow rate, and pattern of a sprinkler’s water spray. Its opening and geometry determine the sprinkler’s reach and droplet pattern.
Center-pivot irrigation: A mechanized irrigation system in which a wheeled pipeline rotates around a central water source. Sprinkler heads mounted along its moving pipeline irrigate large circular fields.
Drip irrigation: An irrigation method that delivers water slowly through emitters near plant roots. Unlike sprinklers, it targets soil near plants and generally avoids wetting foliage.
Evaporation: The change of a liquid into vapor at a surface below its boiling point. Water can evaporate before reaching crops, especially in hot, dry air.
Water pressure: The force per unit area exerted by water, which drives flow through pipes and outlets. Pressure supplies the energy that carries water through sprinkler nozzles.
Lateral move irrigation: A mechanized irrigation system whose wheeled pipeline travels sideways across a field. It uses sprinkler outlets to water rectangular fields as the line advances.
Surface irrigation: Irrigation that moves water across soil by gravity, such as through furrows or basins. It distributes water without spraying it through pressurized overhead outlets.
Wind drift: The sideways displacement of airborne droplets by moving air. Wind carries sprinkler droplets away from their intended application area.
Sprinkler uniformity: A measure of how evenly an irrigation system distributes water across an area. Overlapping spray patterns determine whether the sprinkler wets the field evenly.
Micro-irrigation: Irrigation that delivers water in small, targeted amounts near plants, including drip and micro-sprinkler systems. Micro-sprinklers are a localized, low-flow alternative to broad-area spray.