Simple Method for Determining the Emitter Discharge Rate in the Reclamation of Coastal Saline Soil Using Drip Irrigation

Indirect subsurface drip irrigation (ISDI) is a method of increasing the irrigation water use efficiency of drip irrigation without the need to bury irrigation tubes and wet the soil surface. A major problem of ISDI is the mismatch between emitter discharge rate and water-conducting device dimension, which will result in over-filling of application water. In this paper, we propose to use the steady-state principle of constant-head well permeameter (CHWP) to quantify the relationship between emitter discharge rate and water-conducting device dimension for ISDI. CHWP tests and ISDI tests were carried out in a 300 m2 winter wheat fallow to verify its feasibility. The steady-state characteristic of these two methods was also studied using long-term infiltration. Results indicate that the equilibration time (110 min) in the ISDI tests was greater than that in the CHWP tests (30 min). The steady ponded depth in ISDI had a smaller variation than the steady water discharge rate in the CHWP. When using the steady-state principle of CHWP to design ISDI systems, there was significant linear correlation between predicted and measured ponded depth values (R2 = 0.8379). The soil field-saturated hydraulic conductivity calculated by these two tests was approximately equal. These results demonstrate that the steady-state principle of CHWP could be used to select appropriate irrigation systems for ISDI, and ISDI provides another technique to obtain the field-saturated hydraulic conductivity. Key words: Constant-head well permeameter, field-saturated hydraulic conductivity, indirect subsurface drip irrigation, steady-state

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Reclamation of very heavy coastal saline soil using drip-irrigation with saline water on salt-sensitive plants

Soil and Tillage Research ◽

10.1016/j.still.2014.10.005 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 146 ◽

pp. 159-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Xiaobin Li ◽

Yaohu Kang ◽

Shuqin Wan ◽

Xiulong Chen ◽

Linlin Chu

Keyword(s):

Drip Irrigation ◽

Saline Soil ◽

Saline Water ◽

Coastal Saline Soil

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Experimental and Numerical Analysis of Drip Tape Layout for Irrigation of Sugarcane in Latosol

The Open Biotechnology Journal ◽

10.2174/1874070701509010265 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 265-271 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kai Huang ◽

Desuo Cai ◽

Jinchuang Jinchuang ◽

Wei Pan

Keyword(s):

Point Source ◽

Soil Water ◽

Drip Irrigation ◽

Water Movement ◽

Discharge Rate ◽

Single Point ◽

Critical Parameters ◽

Irrigation Uniformity ◽

Emitter Discharge ◽

Soil Water Movement

A laboratory soil column experiment was first conducted to analyze water movement in latosol of sugarcane field under drip irrigation from single-point source at different emitter discharge rates. Next, a mathematical model of soil water movement under drip irrigation from single-point source was built using Hydrus-3D, which could accurately simulate the shape of the wetted soil volume and the distribution of volumetric water content in the experiment. Further, a Hydrus- 3D model of soil water movement under drip irrigation from double-point source was built and then used to analyze the effects of critical parameters on irrigation uniformity. Results showed that emitter spacing affected irrigation uniformity greatly, but emitter discharge rate did not. According to the irrigation uniformity, project cost and operational management patterns, appropriate drip tape parameters for irrigation of sugarcane in latosol were determined: emitter discharge rate 1.38 L/h, emitter spacing 30 cm, and single-emitter irrigation volume 9.0 L.

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