Furrow irrigation erosion and sedimentation: On-field distribution

Trout, T.J. (1996) Furrow irrigation erosion and sedimentation: On-field distribution. Transactions of the ASAE. 39(5):1717-1723.

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Abstract

Erosion created by furrow irrigation is a serious problem in some states and has resulted in reduced crop
yields. Most furrow erosion assessments have been based on measured sediment discharge from the field, which results in
an average erosion rate for the whole field. However, erosion theory predicts that the erosion rate should decrease with
distance from the head (inflow) end of the furrow. The purpose of this study was to quantify soil erosion and deposition
distribution within furrow irrigated fields. Within field sediment discharge measurements on two silt loam fields in
southern Idaho showed that over half of the soil that eroded from the head end of the furrows deposited on the lower
portions of the field as furrow flow rates decreased. Erosion rates on the upper quarter of uniformly-sloped furrows were
6-20 times greater than average rates from the field. The measurements demonstrate the need to measure erosion rates on
the head ends as well as for the whole field, and explain visible erosion damage from head ends where field average
erosion rates are not high.

Item Type:	Article
NWISRL Publication Number:	0920
Subjects:	Irrigation > Furrow irrigation > Erosion Irrigation > Furrow irrigation > Runoff losses > Sediment Soil > Erosion Mass Import - autoclassified (may be erroneous)
Depositing User:	Dan Stieneke
Date Deposited:	20 Nov 2010 21:54
Last Modified:	22 Nov 2016 22:39
Item ID:	669
URI:	https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/669