REVISING WETTED SOIL VOLUME UNDER TRICKLE SOURCE FOR IRRIGATION SCHEDULING

Amer, Kamal H.; Elsharkawi, Amal; Hassan, Ahmed S.

doi:10.21608/mjae.2010.104809

REVISING WETTED SOIL VOLUME UNDER TRICKLE SOURCE FOR IRRIGATION SCHEDULING

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Dep. of Agr. Eng., Menofia University, Shibin El-Kom, Egypt.

² Research Institute of Agr. Eng., Agriculture Ministry, Geza, Egypt.

10.21608/mjae.2010.104809

Abstract

Wetted soil shape under trickle irrigation is an important parameter in irrigation scheduling and design in agricultural farms. Irrigation water should not be beyond crop root zone to avoid deep percolation. Moreover, irrigation water applied should adequate crop water use in irrigation interval. The purpose of this work is to figure out the suitable shape of wetted soil based on soil type, flow rate, and crop water use. A field experiment was conducted in sand, silt and clay soils under trickle source with varying flow rates as 2, 4, 8, 16, and 24 liter/h. Squash, corn, and grape crops were selected to represent different root zones for irrigation scheduling. Field results showed that horizontal and vertical water movements were related to both emitter flow rate and soil intake rates. Suitable flow rate and irrigation interval were found for selected soil and crop types. Soil moisture content was contoured directly after irrigation and soil-water redistribution. Optimal flow rates were 2 and 4 liter/h in clay soil, 8 and 16 liter/h in loam, 16 and 24 liter/h in sand. Adjusted method was recommended to calculate irrigation interval by revising wetted root zone volume, taking into account different soil, crops, crop stages, and seasons.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Agricultural Irrigation and Drainage Engineering

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