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Pre-wetting effect on furrow irrigation erosion: A field study

EL EFECTO DEL EFECTO DE PRE-HUMEDECIMIENTO EN LA EROSION DE IRRIGACION DE SURCOS: UN ESTUDIO DE CAMPO

Bjorneberg, D.L. and Sojka, R.E. and Aase, J.K. (2002) Pre-wetting effect on furrow irrigation erosion: A field study. Transactions of the ASAE. 45(3):717-722.

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Abstract

Flowing water quickly saturates dry surface soil as water advances in irrigation furrows. Conversely, rain wets
surface soil before runoff occurs. Rapid wetting destroys soil aggregates as water quickly displaces trapped air. Slowly
increasing soil water content prior to saturation increases aggregate stability. We hypothesized that instantaneous wetting
of dry surface soil during furrow irrigation results in greater soil erosion than if furrow soil was pre—wet immediately before
irrigation. We conducted ten irrigation trials on 27—m long furrows in three different fields. Soil was pre—wet by surface drip
irrigation (12 to 14 nun) or by lightly spraying with water (1.3 mm). Pre—wetting with drip irrigation significantly (P < 0.05)
reduced soil loss for 5 of the first 7 irrigations compared to dry soil. The pre—wetting effect on soil loss was not always
dramatic, but cumulative soil loss for the first seven irrigations was significantly different among the three treatments: 16,
30, and 56 Mg ha-1 for drip, spray, and dry treatments, respectively. The dry treatment never had less soil loss than either
pre—wetting treatment. Pre—wetting furrow soil by spraying apparently did not add enough water to stabilize soil aggregates
and decrease soil erosion for most irrigations. This study demonstrated that erosion was greater when water flowed over
initially dry soil, which is typical with furrow irrigation, compared to water flowing over initially wet soil, which occurs during
rain.

Item Type: Article
NWISRL Publication Number: 1071
Subjects: Irrigation > Furrow irrigation > Erosion
Soil > Erosion
Mass Import - autoclassified (may be erroneous)
Depositing User: Users 6 not found.
Date Deposited: 20 Nov 2010 21:50
Last Modified: 10 Nov 2016 16:23
Item ID: 137
URI: https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/137