Choose drip irrigation for widely spaced, high-value crops (orchards, banana, sugarcane, cotton, vegetables) and sprinkler irrigation for closely sown crops such as wheat, gram, mustard, groundnut and fodder. Drip usually saves more water and suits fertigation, but costs more per hectare for closely planted crops; a portable sprinkler set is the cheapest micro-irrigation system and can be moved between plots.
Both are covered by the Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) scheme, which pays 55% of the indicative cost for small and marginal farmers and 45% for others. This page compares the two on water saving, crop fit, cost per hectare and per acre, and the subsidy arithmetic.
Drip vs sprinkler at a glance
| Point | Drip | Sprinkler |
|---|---|---|
| How water is applied | Directly at the root zone through drippers on laterals | Sprayed over the crop like rain through nozzles |
| Water saving (TNAU trial data) | About 39% (tomato) to 79% (beetroot); banana 45%, sugarcane 56%, cotton 66% | Groundnut 25%, cotton 50%, soybean 50%, blackgram 50%, lucerne 63% over surface irrigation |
| Best crops | Widely spaced rows or plants | Closely sown crops with high plant density |
| Fertiliser | Fertigation is easy through a venturi or fertiliser tank | Not usually used for fertigation |
| Main risk | Emitter clogging; filtration decides whether the system works | Wind drift; needs enough pressure; can disturb flowers |
| Terrain | Needs little land levelling | Suited to undulating land and hill slopes |
The water-saving figures come from older TNAU compiled trials (Water Technology Centre reports), so treat them as typical ranges, not promises. Saving also depends on how well you were irrigating before.
Which crop gets which system
- Drip: banana, sugarcane, grapes, pomegranate, mango, guava, papaya, coconut, cotton, tomato, chilli, brinjal, okra and gourds. In TNAU's compiled trials, drip raised yield by about 52% in banana, 33% in sugarcane, 25% in cotton and 50% in tomato, with the water saving shown above.
- Sprinkler (portable or semi-permanent): wheat, gram and other pulses, mustard, cereals, spices and seed crops. The PDMC guidelines describe sprinklers as suitable for crops where plant density is very high.
- Mini-sprinkler: groundnut, potato, onion, ginger and short fodder crops; it also helps with frost protection.
- Micro-sprinkler: leafy vegetables, nurseries and hardening of seedlings.
- Rain gun: large areas irrigated quickly with one or two high-discharge sprinklers (10,000-32,000 litres per hour), at high pressure.
Sprinklers are less suitable for crops that shed flowers easily and work best in wind below about 15 km/h; early morning or evening irrigation reduces evaporation. One sprinkler head needs about 1 kg/cm² pressure to cover a circle of roughly 12 m diameter, so check your pump before buying.
Cost per hectare and per acre (PDMC indicative costs)
These are the indicative unit costs the PDMC guidelines use to calculate subsidy, including GST. Actual prices vary by company, pipe size, water source distance and filters. In low-penetration states (Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Goa, Punjab and UTs) the guideline figures are 15% higher; in the North-East and hill states, 25% higher.
| System and spacing (1 ha) | Typical crops | Cost per ha | Per acre (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drip 10 x 10 m | Mango, coconut | ₹26,181 | ₹10,600 |
| Drip 5 x 5 m | Pomegranate, guava | ₹39,378 | ₹15,900 |
| Drip 2 x 2 m | Banana, papaya | ₹83,085 | ₹33,600 |
| Drip 1.5 x 0.6 m | Tomato, chilli, brinjal | ₹1,09,531 | ₹44,300 |
| Drip 1.2 x 0.6 m or closer | Closely spaced rows | ₹1,27,501 | ₹51,600 |
| Portable sprinkler (63 mm pipe) | Wheat, gram, mustard | ₹21,588 | ₹8,700 |
| Semi-permanent sprinkler | Field crops, buried mains | ₹40,440 | ₹16,400 |
| Micro-sprinkler 5 x 5 m | Nurseries, leafy vegetables | ₹65,102 | ₹26,300 |
| Mini-sprinkler 10 x 10 m | Groundnut, potato, onion | ₹94,134 | ₹38,100 |
| Rain gun (63 mm pipe) | Large fields, fodder | ₹31,684 | ₹12,800 |
One hectare is about 2.47 acres. Costs for larger or smaller areas follow the guideline's own tables for 0.2 to 5 hectares; cost per hectare rises as plant spacing tightens because more lateral pipe and emitters are needed.
Subsidy: how the arithmetic works
PDMC gives 55% of the indicative cost to small and marginal farmers and 45% to other farmers; the combined Centre and state share is split 60:40 (90:10 in North-Eastern and Himalayan states). Assistance is limited to 5 hectares per beneficiary. Some states add a top-up subsidy.
| Example (1 ha, indicative cost) | Small/marginal farmer (55%) | Other farmer (45%) |
|---|---|---|
| Drip 2 x 2 m, ₹83,085 | Subsidy ₹45,697; you pay ₹37,388 | Subsidy ₹37,388; you pay ₹45,697 |
| Portable sprinkler 63 mm, ₹21,588 | Subsidy ₹11,873; you pay ₹9,715 | Subsidy ₹9,715; you pay ₹11,873 |
If the company's actual price is higher than the indicative cost, you pay the difference. The scheme needs BIS-marked components from a company registered with the state, which must give three years of free after-sales service, and every installation is geo-tagged and photographed. Where several small farmers share one water source, the guidelines encourage group installation.
How to decide
- Look at spacing first. Closely sown field crops usually favour sprinkler; widely spaced plants favour drip.
- Check your water and pump. Drip works at low discharge but needs good filters, especially with sandy or muddy tube-well water. Sprinklers need enough pressure; a solar pump can cut the running cost (see solar pumps).
- Price the full system for one acre and compare it with your yearly water and labour savings. Drip with fertigation often pays back fastest on orchard and vegetable crops.
- Plan maintenance. Flush laterals, clean filters weekly, and treat algae or salt clogging. TNAU notes that filtration decides success or failure of a drip system.
More detail on each system is on our drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation pages; check other schemes in the subsidy finder.