Micro sprinklers or mini sprinklers are small plastic sprinklers of low capacity with flow rates less than 300 L/hr. Suitable for wide range of row crops (tree crops and vegetables) that require a medium to low flow irrigation system with optimal clog-free capacity and exceptional distribution uniformity.

The micro sprinklers can have various swivels or rotators (see picture). Their main characteristics are their rapid rotation/whirling, the very small size of the water drops and the long angle of the water spray above nozzle. Micro sprinklers incorporate a moving part, therefore discharge the water over a greater area in a full circle. They have only one nozzle outlet - ranged between 1.0-2.3 mm in diameter for micro sprinklers with swivels and 0.7-2.8 mm with rotators - with discharge rates -23-400 L/hr with swivels and 20-1200 L/hr with rotators -  at operating pressures of 1.0-3.5 bar for swivels and 1.5-4.5 bar for rotators - and wetted diameters between 1.3-8.8 m with swivels and 1.6-23.1 m with rotators. 

The manufacturers catalogue usually shows the sprinkler type, nozzle colour and diameter, flow rate, pressure, wetted diameter, proposed lateral size, spacing between sprinklers and the maximum number of sprinklers per lateral (see pictures). Based on the nozzle colour/size, one sprinkler head can be used -by changing the nozzle only - to achieve various application rates and wetted diameters. Easy to swap.

Mounted at the height of 0.60-0.80 m on metallic or plastic rods inserted into the ground, they are connected to polyethylene (PE) laterals (25 or 32 mm) through small flexible tubes (7 mm in diameter and 0.60-0.80 m long). The spacing arrangement can be rectangular or triangle with 50% of overlapping of the wetting diameter.

Because of the small nozzle sizes a good filtration degree  of about 120-150 microns is needed.

The capital cost for a micro sprinkler/sprayer/jet system may vary between 4,800-5,700 $/ha based on the sprinkler/sprayer/jet type, spacing, filtration degree and automation requirement.