Abstract
Enhancing rainwater infiltration into heavy soils is an important strategy in arid regions to increase soil water storage and meet crop water demand. In such soils, water infiltration and deep percolation can be enhanced by constructing deep ditches filled with permeable materials, such as sand. Laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the effect of sand ditch installed across the slope of a soil box, 50 × 20 × 20 cm3, on runoff interception and water infiltration of clay soil packed at two bulk densities, 1240 and 1510 kg/m3. The experiments were carried out under laboratory conditions using simulated steady flow of about 20 cm/h for a duration of 60 min. Results showed that sand ditches highly reduced runoff and largely enhanced water infiltration into soils. In low-density soil, the average runoff was 15% of inflow volume but reduced to zero in the presence of sand ditches thus increasing soil water storage by 15%. In high-density soil, the presence of sand ditches was more effective; infiltration volume increased by 156% compared to control. The WASH_2D model was used to simulate water flow in the presence of sand ditches; it showed to increase water infiltration and soil-moisture storage thus improving crop production in drylands.
Highlights
Jordan is a country with limited water resources and chronic water shortages
This paper quantifies the effect of installing sand ditches across land slope on runoff and water infiltration and deep percolation using laboratory soil pens under simulated runoff conditions
Due to its large hydraulic conductivity compared to surrounding soil, sand ditches are able to intercept runoff and enhance water deep percolation into the soil profile
Summary
Jordan is a country with limited water resources and chronic water shortages. The Kingdom relies mainly on rainwater, but only 1.1% of its total area receives an average of 400–600 mm/year, and 93% is situated in arid areas with an annual rainfall average of 50–200 mm [1]. In its effort to reduce deficits between supply and demand in the agricultural sector, the government of Jordan has been promoting the use of efficient irrigation systems in the Jordan valley and adopting several soil conservations measures in the rainfed-high lands [1]. Government must continue to promote and apply best water management options to mitigate the significant imbalance between limited supplies and growing demands. Rainfed agriculture is a production system where crops are entirely dependent on the amount of rainwater stored in the soil profile [2]. Rainfed production utilizes the thick alluvial soils, which allow high retention storage during the wet season and vegetation subsequently extracts soil water in the dry season. The rainfed agricultural area in Jordan is
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