Furrow Irrigation Model for Real‐Time Applications on Cracking Soils

Abstract

Clay soils frequently develop large cracks after irrigation. Infiltration equations therefore need to be modified to take cracking soil properties into account when modeling and optimizing furrow irrigation. In this article, we propose an infiltration equation for cracked soils, based on two parameters. Other parameters of the global model are assumed to be known (furrow length, shape, slope, and estimated roughness). One parameter is linked to the type of soil and is calibrated separately for the entire irrigation process. The second parameter takes soils' cracks into account and is calibrated in real time during the advance phase (before the water front overruns the middle of the plot). This global furrow irrigation model for cracked soils is derived from a conceptual approach and can be used either to predict in real time, water‐use efficiency during irrigation (infiltrated volume, runoff water losses, uniformity) or to optimize irrigation parameters (head flow, irrigation duration). The model was tested and validated on three irrigation applications on 60 furrows in a corn field in Tarascon in southeastern France. This conceptual model can be easily adapted to the statistical approach, which is based on the variability of water advance between the furrows.