Excerpts from the paper: Irrigation pumping energy requirements are a function of: 1. The volume of irrigation water pumped. 2. The feet of lift--the elevation difference between the water source and the field being irrigated. 3. The efficiency of the irrigation system (percentage of the water applied that is stored in the root zone). Therefore, everything else equal, pumping energy can be conserved by reducing the volume of irrigation water and the irrigation lift, and employing an irrigation system that utilizes the lowest pumping pressure to achieve a given level of irrigation efficiency.
