Investigation of different irrigation systems based on the parametric evaluation approach in Boneh Basht plain - Iran

Abstract

The main objective of this research is to compare different irrigation methods based on parametric evaluation system in an area of 4688 ha in the Boneh Basht plain located in the Khuzestan Province, in the Southwest of Iran. The results showed that for 760 ha (16.21%) of the study area sprinkle irrigation method was highly recommended; however there was not any highly suitable lands for both drip and surface irrigation methods; moreover, for all irrigation systems the unsuitable lands did not exist in this zone. The results demonstrated that by applying sprinkle irrigation instead of drip and surface irrigation methods, the arability of 3104 ha (66.21%) in the Boneh Basht plain will improve. In addition by applying drip irrigation instead of sprinkle and surface irrigation methods, the land suitability of 1584 ha (33.79%) of this plain will improve. The comparison of the three different types of irrigation techniques revealed that the sprinkle and drip irrigations methods were more effective and efficient than the surface irrigation methods for improving land productivity. It is of note however that the main limiting factors in using different irrigation methods in this area are soil texture, CaCo3 and slope. Key words: Surface irrigation, sprinkle irrigation, drip irrigation, land suitability evaluation, parametric method, soil series.