Disadvantages of pivots

• Not suitable to irrigate a large rectangle or a square field
• Unequal distribution of water and fertilizers
• Irrigation efficiency is usually much lower
• Crops sensitive to stream or crown wetting
• Lack of aeration in the root zone
• Wind affects the water distribution
• Evaporation losses can be high
• High labor requirements for some systems
• Some soils may cause problems for continuous move systems
• Plant disease can arise from wetting or salts in the water
• Maintenance costs are relatively high