Solute distribution uniformity and fertilizer losses under meandering and standard furrow irrigation methods

• Published in: Australian Journal of Crop Science Vol. 6; no. 5; pp. 884 - 890
• Main Authors: Fatemeh Soroush, Behrouz Mostafazadeh-Fard, Sayed-Farhad Mousavi, Fariborz Abbasi
• Format: Journal Article
• Published: Lismore, N.S.W Southern Cross Publishers 01.05.2012
• Subjects: Analysis; Fertilization of plants; Furrow irrigation; Irrigation efficiency; Management; Runoff
• ISSN: 1835-2693

Surface fertigation is a cost-effective and simple method of applying fertilizer if well-managed and designed. Surface irrigation in sloping fields has some difficulties, especially when soil is not deep enough for adequate leveling. In these fields, fertigation may result in contamination of surface waters due to runoff. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of meandering furrow irrigation and field slope on the hydraulic parameters (advance time, recession time, water depth and runoff), distribution uniformities and application efficiency of water and fertilizer. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of field slope (1.1 and 2.9%) and furrow type (meandering furrow (MF) and standard furrow (SF) irrigation on hydraulic performance and efficiencies of irrigation and fertigation. Results indicated that application efficiency and advance time in MF irrigation were significantly more than SF irrigation (P<0.05) for both irrigation events. The average tail water runoff loss and consequently mass of fertilizer loss in MFs (718 L, 206 gr) were significantly (P< 0.05) less than SFs (1304 L, 399 gr), which could result in less surface water contamination. The average low quarter distribution uniformity (DULQ) and low half distribution uniformity (DULH) of water and fertilizer were high (almost 90%) for both irrigation methods. In general, the use of MF irrigation in sloping fields is recommended as a good management option for both irrigation and fertigation.