SOIL MOISTURE DISTRIBUTION IN SANDY SOIL UNDER DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM USING NEUTRON SCATTERING METHOD

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Atomic Energy Authority – Nuclear research center - Soil and water department, Egypt.

2 Soils department, Fac. of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Egypt.

Abstract

This work aims to study soil moisture behavior in sandy soil under drip irrigation system in order to control the management in sandy soil using neutron scattering technique. Studying soil moisture distribution through the soil profile is important to management the irrigation water, to achieve the maximum benefit from irrigation water. To achieve this aim, an experiment was carried out at the farm of Soil and Water Department, Nuclear Research Center, Atomic Energy Authority, Inshas (latitude longitude 30˚19̀ N longitude 31˚27̀ E), during onion growing season (2008/2009). Drip irrigation system was used for applying irrigation water. The uniformity of emitters' water application was checked to judge the system.
Data showed that it's possible to use the combination work between neutron scattering technique and soil moisture retention models to study the direction of soil water movement within sandy soil profile. As well as predicting some soil plant concepts (i.e., active rooting depth and depth of collective active roots for water absorption);these concepts used to determine evapotranspiration, drainage rate and active rooting zone. Detecting total hydraulic potential within the wet area around the dripper along dripper lines and between lateral lines helps to study the behavior of soil moisture values within soil profile. The obtained data show also that the actual evapotranspiration of onion plant differs from site to site in wet area according to soil moisture availability.  Surfer computer program also shows soil profile can be classified into different areas after and before irrigation within the wet area around drippers. The combination work between neutron probe, soil moisture tension models and. Surfer computer program shows study the horizontal and vertical movement of soil water in the wet area around the dripper and obtaining couture lines of soil moisture within the wet area.

Keywords

Main Subjects


Brouwer, C. K. Prins and M. Heibloem (1989) "Irrigation water management: Irrigation scheduling" FAO training manual No. 4 Rome Italy.
Burrows,W.C and Don Kirkham (1958) "Measurement of field capacity with a neutron meter" Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J 22:103-105.
De Boodt, M. and P. Demeester (1968), A comparative study on the acuray of the radioactive method for soil moisture determination using thermal and epithermal neutron. Trans. Intern. Congr. Soil Sci., 9th Congr. Adelade. Vol.3.pp.555-564.
El- Gendy, R. W. (2008): Use of Neutron Probe to Quantify the Soil Moisture Flux in Layers of Cultivated Soil by Chickpea. Arab J. of Nuclear Sci. and Appl published in 9th conference of nuclear sciences and applications at sharm el shikh, 11-14 , February, 2008 Part 13: Soil and Water Research. PP: 26-35).
El- Gendy, R. W. (2008): "How to use tensiometers and neutron scattering technique to study rates of stored and depleted water into soil layers" Ninth Arab Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, Beirut,.Vol. 2, P: 117 -127.
Feng-Xin Wang., Yaohu Kang., Shi-Ping Iiu and Xiao-Yan Hou (2007) "Effects of soil matric potential on potato growth under drip irrigation in the North China Plain" Agricultural water management 88: 34-42.
Hanson, B., Orloff, Ssnd  Peters, D., (2000). "Monitoring soil moisture helps refine irrigation management" California Agriculture 54 (3), 38–42
IAEA (2003) "Neutron and gamma probe: Their use in agronomy" Training course series 16 Vienna.
Jacobs. H.S., R. M. Reed; S.J. Thien and L.V. Withee (1971). Soils laboratory exercise source book. Am. Soc. of Agron. Mandison, Wisconsin.
Juan Enciso ., Bob Wiedenfeld., John Jifon and Shad Nelson (2009) " Oinion yield and quality response to two irrigation scheduling strategies" Scientia Horticulture 120: 301-305.
Mateen ul Hassan Khan ; Mohammad Imran and Tahir Hussain Chattha (2005) " Effect of irrigation intervals on growth and yield of onion varieties Swat-1 and phulkara" Journals of Applied Science Research 1(2): 112-116
Page, D.(1982). Method of soil analysis, Part 12 2nd . ed., Agronomy Monogr. ASA and SSSA., Madison, WI. Page, D. (ed).
Sallam, M.F.A and R. W. El-Gendy (1999). "Detecting active root depth using soil water movement direction by nuclear technique". Egypt. J. Soil Sci. 39No 127.43
Zedan A.T. (2005) "Study of soil moisture and salt distribution under drip irrigation system using the neutron scattering meter. M.Sc thesis I.A.M Bari, Italy