Abstract
Overhead sprinkler irrigation is one of the most widely used methods in agriculture. However, sprinkler systems can lead to significant water loss through evaporation and wind drift, especially in hot or windy climates. To address these challenges, mobile drip irrigation (MDI) has emerged as an innovative alternative. This publication presents a comprehensive overview of the mobile drip irrigation (MDI) system. It explains how water is distributed within an MDI system and evaluates the economic factors involved in converting a center pivot irrigation system to MDI. A practical decision checklist is included to help determine whether an MDI system is suitable for a specific field operation. Written by Bhimsen Shrestha and Vivek Sharma, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, September 2026.
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