LAUSR

BACKGROUND Although reclaimed wastewater drip irrigation (RWDI) is an effective technology for alleviating agricultural crop water stress and protecting the environment, the reclaimed wastewater (RW) may cause emitter clogging. Discharge ratio variation (Dra) and coefficient of uniformity (CU) play a key role in exploring the clogging degree of the emitter. Therefore, a meta-analysis was conducted to identify optimal management methods with an acceptable Dra and CU under RWDI. RESULTS The results indicate that the higher the concentration of various substances in RW is, the higher the risk of the emitter clogging is. Suitable concentrations of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), water hardness and calcium ions (Ca2+ ) in RW were determined to be 0 to 0.2 mg L-1 , 0 to 0.02 mg L-1 , 0 to 50 mg L-1 , 20 to 30 mg L-1 , 200 to 250 mg L-1 and 0 to 40 mg L-1 , respectively. Pressure-compensating emitters with relatively high discharge (> 2 L h-1 ) could prevent clogging in RWDI systems. CONCLUSIONS Based on the data analysis, a cumulative RWDI operation time of 375 h was determined as the most suitable time for lateral flushing to prevent clogging. This study identifies the conditions under which increase the service life for RWDI system can be achieved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.