Soil water flow and distribution in horizontal and vertical directions as influenced by intermittent water application
1977
Levin, I. | VAN ROOYEN, F. C.
The flow and distribution of water in horizontal and vertical columns, using two soils of different texture, were investigated. The effect of continuous versus intermittent application of water to the soils was evaluated in terms of wetting front advance, cumulative infiltration, infiltration rate, and soil moisture content.In the vertical columns, using intermittent water application, the advance of the wetting front, the cumulative infiltration, and the infiltration rate were decreased and behaved as if the time-averaged water application rate were being applied continuously. This decrease was also found with the horizontal columns, but to a considerably smaller extent. In effect, this decrease would change the shape of the wetted soil volume in favor of the lateral direction, when using point-source irrigation. The decrease in vertical water movement can also have favorable implications with respect to losses of water and nutrients beneath the root zone. By making use of intermittent water application, it is also possible to use high-discharge emitters while still obtaining low rates of water infiltration.In the medium-textured soil the intermittent water application caused a significant decrease in soil moisture content in the transmission zone with both the vertical and horizontal columns. This implies improved aeration (reduced “field capacity”) when using intermittent water application in heavier textured soils.
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