Study the effect of stockosorb super absorption polymer on the flow advance time and infiltration parameters in furrow irrigation

آب و خاک

Article 29, Volume 22, Issue 2, May 2008   

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.22067/jsw.v0i22.1034

Author

A.A. Montazar^*

College of Aboureyhan, University of Tehran

Abstract

Abstract
Efficient water use in agriculture is a priority in arid and semi-arid regions where water for irrigation is scarce. Super absorption polymers (SAP) could be considered as an approach to increase water productivity in rainfed and irrigated farming. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of stockosorb super absorption polymer on the Kostiakov-Lewis Equation parameters and the flow advance curve in the furrow irrigation method. The experiment was conducted based on a randomized block design with factorial arrangement having 3 replications. The main plots included four levels of SAP included 0 (control), 5, 7, and 9 g m-2 polymer into 25 cm of soil depth, and two levels of inflow rate included 0.5 and 0.7 l/s as sub main plots. The data were collected during four irrigation events. The results showed that applying SAP had a significant effect on the flow advance time and cumulative infiltration depth. Flow advance time and cumulative infiltration depth values were increased because of using SAP. Using SAP may have suitable effects on infiltration rate especially after the first irrigation event that reduces the cumulative infiltration substantially. Hence, the performance of surface irrigation methods and its water productivity can be improved. The results of statistical analysis also indicated that the effect of SAP and inflow rate levels on the improvement of infiltration was significant at 1% level. Using 9 g.m-2 SAP into 25 cm of soil with inflow rate of 0.5 l/s in plots having 90 m length increased the cumulative infiltration by 67% as compared to the control treatment. In addition, decreasing of inflow rate increased cumulative infiltration.

Key words: Flow advance time, Furrow irrigation, Cumulative infiltration, Performance assessment, Stockosorb, Super absorption polymer