PREDICTION PROCEDURE FOR SOIL DRIP IRRIGATION CONTOURS ON SLOPES

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to develop the methodology for predicting the size and design of the outlines of local contours of soil depth drip irrigation that are formed on slopes. The obvious advantage of drip irrigation systems is the possibility of their application for irrigating plants cultivated on sloping land, where other irrigation methods cannot be used. Material and Methods. During the research it was found that the shape, location and parameters of the slope contours differ from their parameters determined under the conditions of horizontal drip irrigated sites. The available qualitative and quantitative differences in the slope and plain contours parameters were determined in the course of their research carried out on different slopes of plots with orchard tree crops growing on medium- and thin chernozems of the steppe zone of Rostov Region. Results. With a 3° slope of the land surface, the angle of deviation of the contour axis from the vertical line was 14°, at 5° – 20° and at 9° – 22°. Besides while processing the results of experimental studies, the deformation coefficients of the upper and lower parts of the contours formed on slopes were determined which were 0.89 and 1.10 for a land surface slope of 3°, respectively, for 5° – 0.76 and 1.25 respectively, for 9° – 0.61 and 1.40, respectively. Conclusion. As a result of the studies the methodology for determining geometric and moisture parameters was proposed and a method for designing the outlines of the local contours of drip irrigation of chernozem soils formed on drip-irrigated landscapes with different slopes of the land surface was developed. The method and technique developed by the authors for predicting parameters and designing local drip contours formed on steady irrigated areas are the basis of the proposed methodology.

Keywords

• drip irrigation
• slopes
• drip irrigation contour
• moisture contour parameters
• contour prediction technique