Assessing ring‐shaped subsurface irrigation system through a conventional subsurface emitter

Abstract

AbstractA ring‐shaped emitter is a cheap subsurface irrigation system recommended for small‐scale farms. This study compared the performance of a ring‐shaped emitter with conventional subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) under the same conditions. HYDRUS, which is a useful software that can thoroughly and adequately simulate water movement in the soil under different irrigation systems, was used to study the performance of the aforementioned irrigation systems. We used field data to calibrate and verify the numerical model. The water distribution around the irrigation systems studied was modelled as 2D in‐plane strain for ordinary SDI (vertical plane XZ) and axisymmetric geometrical states for the ring‐shaped emitter. This study mainly evaluated ring‐shaped emitters and compared them with SDI to verify whether these emitters could be a recommended alternative irrigation method in small‐scale farms. The simulation results showed that water availability in the exact coordinates in both emitters was approximately identical, except near the waterfront. Water movement in the ring‐shaped emitter was faster than that in SDI, and therefore, the waterfront in the ring‐shaped emitter was further away at all times. Finally, the water entrance to the second layer under this emitter met with less resistance.