Drip irrigation water and salt flow model for table grapes in Coachella Valley, California

Abstract

Unlike annual crops where reclamation leaching of salts can be readily conducted between cropping, leaching of salts in permanent crops that are drip irrigated pose challenges. A need exists to formulate and test a management-type of salinity model for drip irrigation of table grapes. The model reported herein predicts the distribution of salts along the vine row and between the rows during the growing season, as affected by reactivity of salts of the applied irrigation water as well as rate and duration of drip application. The calibrated model reproduced the initial field salinity profiles after repeated irrigation cycles by adjusting only the routing factor α which is the ratio of horizontal to vertical water flow. After eight cycles the profiles stabilized and the calibrated horizontal to vertical flow routing ratio was 0.6. There is remarkable agreement between measured and simulated salinity. Corresponding soil moisture profiles show the expected high water content with depth at the emitter, the decrease in surface water content with radial distance and the increase with depth, at the distal end of the wedge. Although the model is location specific it can be applied knowing soil, initial and boundary conditions, as well as irrigation application quantity and quality and as such can be applied location by location in order to assess flow and quality of deep percolation recharging the groundwater system. With this capacity the model can predict soil water quantity and quality outcomes for possible land and water management scenarios.