Simulated soil water distribution patterns and water use of Alfalfa under different subsurface drip irrigation depths

Mohamed Galal Eltarabily; Abdelmoneim Zakaria Mohamed; Sultan Begna; Dong Wang; Daniel H. Putnam; Elia Scudiero; Khaled M. Bali

Agricultural Water Management (Mar 2024)

Simulated soil water distribution patterns and water use of Alfalfa under different subsurface drip irrigation depths

Mohamed Galal Eltarabily,
Abdelmoneim Zakaria Mohamed,
Sultan Begna,
Dong Wang,
Daniel H. Putnam,
Elia Scudiero,
Khaled M. Bali

Affiliations

Mohamed Galal Eltarabily: Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Port Said University, Port Said 42523, Egypt; Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Corresponding author at: Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Port Said University, Port Said 42523, Egypt.
Abdelmoneim Zakaria Mohamed: UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, University of California, Parlier, CA 93648, USA
Sultan Begna: USDA-ARS, Water Management Research Unit, Parlier, CA 93648, USA
Dong Wang: USDA-ARS, Water Management Research Unit, Parlier, CA 93648, USA
Daniel H. Putnam: Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Elia Scudiero: University of California, Riverside, Environmental Sciences Department, Riverside, CA 92521, USA; USDA-ARS, United States Salinity Laboratory, Riverside, CA 92507, USA
Khaled M. Bali: UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, University of California, Parlier, CA 93648, USA

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 293
p. 108693

Abstract

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Alfalfa is one of the major perennial forage crops in California, vital for the livestock industry, and provides environmental benefits to the ecosystem in the state. Information on subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) practices on alfalfa is limited particularly in areas related to drip tape spacings and installation depths and their impacts on topsoil profile wetting patterns and alfalfa productivity. The objective of this study was to compare three different depths of drip lines: 15, 30, and 45 cm on topsoil profile wetting patterns and identify the optimum depth for achieving sustainable management practices for alfalfa production under SDI. Crop water requirements were determined using Tule Technologies system. Volumetric soil water contents from twelve cuts were simulated using HYDRUS-2D. Initial volumetric soil water contents from Watermark sensors were used in the model and measured volumetric soil water distributions were used for hydraulic conductivity calibration. Simulated results showed that there was no significant difference between root water uptake (RWU) among the various drip depths. RWU was 171.6, 170.0, and 168.2 cm at drip line depths of 15, 30, and 45 cm, respectively. Applied irrigation water during the study period was 195.1 cm while rainfall was 4.1 cm. A 10% reduction in topsoil volumetric soil water content was observed for drip lines at 30 cm depth as compared with 15 cm depth, while a 20% reduction in topsoil volumetric soil water content was observed for drip lines at 45 cm depth as compared with 15 cm depth. Drip lines at 30 cm depth are likely the optimal for RWU and free drainage; however, drip lines at 45 cm depth may allow growers to provide additional irrigation events (without increasing the topsoil volumetric soil water content) closer to the harvest date, potentially resulting in higher yield and water use efficiency.

Published in Agricultural Water Management

ISSN: 1873-2283 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Agriculture: Agriculture (General); Social Sciences: Industries. Land use. Labor: Special industries and trades: Agricultural industries
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/agricultural-water-management

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