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ABSTRACT EVAPORATION loss from low pressure spray type sprinklers was investigated using the potassium ion as a chemical tracer in the irrigation water. Potassium ion concentrations were monitored in surface caught water and in the atmosphere 60-m downwind from a line source simulating a continuously moving irrigation machine. Evaporation losses ranged from 0.5 to 1.4% for smooth spray plate sprinklers and from 0.4 to 0.6% for coarse serrated sprinklers. Measured evaporation values for the smooth spray plate sprinklers were highly correlated (R2 = 0.98) with calculated values from Kinzer and Gunn's (1951) laboratory work.