Distribution and storage characterization of soil solution for drip irrigation

Author(s)

Souza, Claudinei F. ^[1] ; Folegatti, Marcos V. ^[2] ; Or, Dani ^[3]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Ctr Agr Sci, Araras, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Agr Engn, Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[3] ETH, Swiss Fed Inst Technol, Zurich - Switzerland

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: IRRIGATION SCIENCE; v. 27, n. 4, p. 277-288, MAY 2009.
• Web of Science Citations: 11

Abstract

The increased use of marginal quality water with drip irrigation requires sound fertigation practices that reconcile environmental concerns with viable crop production objectives. We conducted experiments to characterize dynamics and patterns of soil solution within wet bulb formed by drip irrigation. Time-domain reflectometry probes were used to monitor the distribution of potassium nitrate (KNO(3)) and water distribution from drippers discharging at constant flow rates of 2, 4 and 8 L h(-1) in soil-filled containers. Considering results from different profiles, we observed greater solute storage near the dripper decreasing gradually towards the wetting front. About half of the applied KNO(3) solution (48%) was stored in the first layer (0-0.10 m) for all experiments, 29% was stored in the next layer (0.10-0.20 m). Comparing different dripper flow rates, we observed higher solution storage for 4 L h(-1), with 45, 53 and 47% of applied KNO(3) solution accumulating in the first layer (0-0.10 m) for dripper flow rates of 2, 4 and 8 L h(-1), respectively. The results suggest that based on the volume and frequency used in this experiment, it would be advantageous to apply small amounts of solution at more frequent intervals to reduce deep percolation losses of applied water and solutes. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 05/00906-3 - Study of the soil solution dynamics for drip irrigation design and management using Time Domain Reflectometry technique (TDR)
• Grantee: Claudinei Fonseca Souza
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants