Effect of Corn Canopy on Application Rate and Uniformity of Water Distribution Using a Sprinkler

The study evaluated the effects of cultivation under a canopy, concerning plant density, row spacing, and cultivation without a canopy, on the application rate and the uniformity coefficient with different catch-can heights. The experiment was conducted at the Fishery and Aquaculture Technology Farm in the Volta Region of Ghana. Catch-cans were arranged at the heights of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 m, respectively, and the working pressure varied from 150~250 kPa. The average infiltration rate with the canopy and without it was 31.2 mm h⁻¹ and 37.08 mm h⁻¹, respectively. Corn under the canopy significantly influenced (p-values 0.001) the infiltration depth before runoff. However, the effect of the cultivation without a canopy was insignificant (p = 0.05). The average application rates obtained under the canopy at the catch-can heights of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 m were 56.6, 61.4, 68.0, and 52.0 m h⁻¹, respectively. The maximum and the average uniformity coefficient (Cu) values obtained under the canopy were 79% and 64%, respectively. The average sediment productions (gm⁻²) were 2.0, 2.53, 3.0, 3.63, 5.95 and 70.2, respectively, in the treatments of 40.1 mm·h⁻¹ and duration (Dur) 80 min, 45.2 mm·h⁻¹ and Dur 60 min, with 30.4 mm·h⁻¹ and Dur 110 min, 28.4 mm·h⁻¹ and Dur 120 min, and 59.2 mm·h⁻¹ and Dur 40min.