Which of the following is/are the advantage/advantages of practising drip irrigation?
- 1.Reduction in weed
- 2.Reduction in soil salinity
- 3.Reduction in soil erosion
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only
Drip irrigation reduces weeds and soil erosion, but it does not reduce soil salinity; salt tends to build up at the edge of the wetted zone. Water goes only to the plant's root zone, so the rest of the field stays dry and there is little surface flow to wash soil away.
- ✓ 1. Water is placed at the plants, not spread over the whole field, so the soil between rows stays dry and fewer weeds grow. FAO lists reduced weed control among the advantages of drip irrigation, and ICAR notes that it reduces weed pressure.
- ✗ 2. Drip does not cut soil salinity: FAO notes that the dissolved salts accumulate at the periphery of the wetted soil mass, and salt accumulation at the wetting front is listed as a demerit of drip irrigation. (Drip does let farmers use saline water, and it spares leaves from salt burn, which is a different point.)
- ✓ 3. Water is delivered slowly through emitters with no flooding or heavy surface flow, so soil structure is disturbed least. A field study in a peer-reviewed journal measured suspended soil loss of 5.26 t per ha under furrow irrigation, 2.53 t per ha under subsurface drip at 120% of crop evapotranspiration, and none under deficit subsurface drip.
Remember · Drip irrigation: saves water, fertiliser and labour, keeps weeds down and spares soil structure; drawbacks are clogged emitters and salt build-up at the wetting front.
Sources
- FAO, Irrigation manual, Ch 14: Drip irrigation (advantages) ↗ “Low labour operating requirements, reduced cultivation and weed control, and uninterrupted operation are among the other advantages of this irrigation method. … The dissolved salts accumulate at the periphery of the wetted soil mass, and the plants can easily obtain the moisture needed.”
- Drip Irrigation and Fertigation (Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Agritech Portal) ↗ · reference work “5. Less weed growth 6. Minimum damage to the soil structure 7. Avoidance of leaf burn due to saline soil 8. Usage in undulating areas and slow permeable soil 9. Low energy requirement (i.e.) labour saving 10. High uniformity suitable for automization DEMERITS 1. Clogging of drippers 2. Chemical precipitation 3. Salt accumulation at wetting front”
- Water smart irrigation technologies and practices (Indian Farming, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, December 2025) ↗ · reference work “drip system promotes uniform crop growth, healthier plants, and better yields. This also allows precise application of fertilizers (fertigation), reduce weed pressure, and can be automated to lower labour costs.”
- Agronomy for Sustainable Development (Springer, peer-reviewed): off-site movement of sediments under subsurface drip and furrow irrigation, cotton on a vertisol ↗ · reference work “Our results show that furrow irrigation significantly increased suspended soil loss, of 5.26 t ha −1 , compared to that of subsurface drip irrigation at 120% of ETc, of 2.53 tha −1 , whereas no erosion was recorded with deficit subsurface drip irrigation.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2016, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·