Implementación de la Guadua angustifolia Kunth como tubería de drenaje agrícola

Due to poor natural soil drainage in agricultural areas or areas with potential for cultivation, this work aimed to create an agricultural drainage pipeline using Guadua to facilitate the subsurface movement of water, thereby allowing the evacuation of excess water in the soil. For this purpose, an inventory and a utilization plan for a stand of Guadua in Pitalito, Huila, Colombia, were prepared, as well as drilling process for the internodes to convert the Guadua into a drainage pipe. As a result, a 3-m-long pipe was obtained with perimetral perforations that comply with the minimum drainage area according to the Colombian technical standard NTC-6028 of 2013, with an average thickness of 1.5 cm and an average inner diameter of 7.6 cm (approximately 3 inches). The drainage area per linear meter of the Guadua pipe was approximately 30 cm², according to NTC 6028, the minimum required area per linear meter is 8 cm². The expected flow rate is 1.6 L s-1 or 25 GPM, which provides a drainage capacity similar to that of a 4-inch PAVCO pipe. This technology was installed with drains spaced 3 m apart and installed at a depth of less than 1 m, similar to mole drains. Although it has not yet been evaluated, it represents a potential option for evacuating water through subsurface drainage in places where natural soil drainage is imperfect. Furthermore, there is sufficient Guadua in the area to be harvested, transformed, and installed according to the design.