Water Distribution in Laterals and Units of Subsurface Drip Irrigation. II: Field Evaluation
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Volume 135, Issue 6
Abstract
The performance of drip irrigation and subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) laterals has been compared. Two emitter models (one compensating and the other noncompensating) were assessed. Field tests were carried out with a pair of laterals working at the same inlet pressure. A procedure was developed that recorded head pressures at both lateral extremes and inlet flow during irrigation. Both models showed similar behavior and soil properties affected their discharge. On the other hand, the performance of a field SDI unit of compensating emitters was characterized by measuring pressures at different points and inlet flow. Finally, the distribution of water and soil pressure in the laterals and the unit were predicted and irrigation uniformity and soil pressure variability were also determined. Predictions agreed reasonably well with the experimental observations. Thus, the methodology proposed could be used to support the decision making for the design and management of SDI systems.
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Acknowledgments
We thank the Commission of Science and Technology (CICYT) for the funding received for this research through project AGL2004-01689. Likewise, we would like to thank the “Centro Nacional de Tecnología de Regadíos (CENTER)” for its contribution and support in the development of the experimental setup.
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Published In
Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 6 • December 2009
Pages: 729 - 738
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Jan 27, 2009
Accepted: Jul 27, 2009
Published online: Jul 29, 2009
Published in print: Dec 2009
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