Surge-ring Infiltrometer and its Application to Simulate Infiltration

Abstract

Cumulative infiltration into the soil profile during constant on-off cycle times of surge irrigation was estimated using surge-ring infiltrometer data. The Kostiakov equation was employed to model the cumulative infiltration behaviour and its reduction into the soil during different surges. The two-point technique was applied to determine the unknown parameters of the Kostiakov equation. It was concluded that the surging phenomena substantially reduced water movement and the reduction in cumulative infiltration varies from 60 to 83% during first surge and 60 to 27% for the subsequent surges. A surge infiltration model was also developed by introducing a 'surge factor' into the Kostiakov equation to generate infiltration data for subsequent surges, using the first surge / continuous infiltration data. Results of the study revealed that the infiltration data of the surge-ring infiltrometer and that generated by surge infiltration model matched closely.