Water Movement in Soil from Trickle Source

A two-dimensional water movement within a homogeneous soil profile from a surface water line source was investigated. In the experiment, various trickle water application rates were used to irrigate two types of soil. The effect of soil type and water application rate on the movement and distribution of water within the soil profile were considered. The experiment revealed that for the same volume of water, the vertical penetration of wetting front decreased and the horizontal water movement increased as the water application rate increased. The water movement in the horizontal and vertical directions was described by an exponential equation and the two-dimensional wetting pattern in the soil profile was approximated by a semiellipse without a significant loss of accuracy. A general mathematical consideration, utilizing the results of the present work for designing a trickle irrigation system, is presented. A simple field test for obtaining system design parameters is described.