Annotation

The paper affords the data about the area under drip irrigation in Russian Federation and other countries. The main advantages and disadvantages of drip irrigation use are noted. New directions for drip irrigation use are considered. Such directions are the drip irrigation use for rice growing, for applying soil amendments to control sodicity and alkalinity by chemigation, for soil leaching to control salanization as well as subsurface drip irrigation with livestock wastewater. The data of government support for the farms using drip irrigation are summarized. On the basis of literature and patent analysis the main directions for the development of microirrigation technical methods are pointed.