The first reported microirrigation experiments began in
Germany in 1860, where subsurface clay pipes were used in
combination with irrigation and drainage systems (Davis, 1974). In
the United States, around 1913 House (Davis, 1974) tried to irrigate
with perforated subsurface pipes, but he indicated that the method
was too expensive. Irrigation of plants through narrow openings in
pipes can also be traced back to green house operations in the United
Kingdom in the late 1940s (Davis, 1974).