[[Image:Waggon icon.png|right|80px|]][[Image:waggon wheel.jpg|thumb|right|400px200px|The Waggon Wheel system. Drawing: [http://www.samsamwater.com/library.php?serie=RELMA%20Technical%20Handbook%20Series RELMA.]]]__NOTOC__ <small-title />The Waggon Wheel system was developed in South Africa by Dr Gerrie Albertse in 1995. It has been used to grow vegetables and grapes in the very harsh conditions of arid South Africa. The Waggon Wheel irrigation system uses a circular arrangement of 6 drip lines radiating out from the central reservoir drum (210 litres) — hence the name Waggon Wheel. The length of each drip line is 6 m.
The Waggon Wheel '''Uses of a drum system'''<br> A drum system was developed in South Africa by Dr Gerrie Albertse in 1995. It has been covering 5 beds each 1 m wide and 15 m long can be used to grow vegetables 250 plants (tomato, egg plant and grapes in similar plants requiring a spacing of 60 cm along the plant rows); 500 plants (spinach, cabbage, kale, pepper and similar plants requiring a spacing of 30 cm along the very harsh conditions plant rows); or 1,500 plants (onion, carrot and similar plants requiring a spacing of arid South Africa10 cm). The Waggon Wheel irrigation drum system uses also offers water storage and control through a circular arrangement of 6 drip lines radiating out from control valve, making it possible to fill the drum for irrigating at another time. Six examples are presented: the central reservoir KARI drum (210 litres) — hence system from Kenya, the name Waggon Wheelsystem from South Africa, the Family, Plastro and Micro-Tal systems from Israel, and the IDE drum used in India. ===Construction operations and maintenance===The length of each standard drum kit system comprises a drum, control valve, a manifold and drip line lines. The drum should be filled with the valve in the closed position. To irrigate it is 6 mimportant to open the valve fully. This allows the water to be distributed quickly through the drip lines and allows for good water distribution.
==Construction operations and maintenance==
'''System components'''<br>
# Connect the drip lines to the manifold and the manifold to the drum outlet.
===Costs===
A typical cost of the homemade Waggon Wheel system is US$ 16 in South Africa.
===Acknowledgements===
* Sijali, Isaya V. [http://www.samsamwater.com/library.php?serie=RELMA%20Technical%20Handbook%20Series DRIP IRRIGATION: Options for smallholder farmers in eastern and southern Africa.] RELMA, 2001.
