Spatial and Temporal Variability of Soil Hydraulic Properties for Sugarcane Plant

Management and control of surface irrigation, in particular furrow irrigation, is limited by spatio-temporal soil infiltration variability as well as the high cost and time for collecting intensive field data for estimationof the infiltration characteristics. Furrow infiltration is a complex process and depends on several parameters that are quite difficult (if possible at all) to be evaluated in the field. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the spatial and temporal variability of final infiltration rate along a furrow during sugarcane growth season. A range of field experiments were carried out on furrow irrigation in a sugarcanefield to estimate final infiltration variability. Seven irrigation events were studied on two groups of furrows, the first group with the assumption of uniform, and the second group with the assumption of varying infiltration characteristics was determined. Each group included three furrows 1.83 m wide and 140 m long.The results showed that from the beginning to the end of the growing season final infiltration rate (f0) inuniform furrow reduced 29.9 %, however the coefficient of variations of final infiltration rates along the variable furrow decreased 35.7 %. The reductions were different for each irrigation events; however the difference of final infiltration rate between the first and second irrigation was higher as compared to other irrigation events.

کلیدواژه ها:

Kostiakov-Lewis equation ، infiltration parameters ، variable furrow ، uniform furrow ، final infiltration rate