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Center pivot simulator for evaluating system design and management effects on infiltration and erosion

King, B.A. and Bjorneberg, D.L. (2007) Center pivot simulator for evaluating system design and management effects on infiltration and erosion. pp. 166-175. In: Proceedings of 28th Annual Irrigation Show. USA-CA-San Diego, 2007/12/09-11.

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Abstract

A 4-wheeled commercial irrigation boom was modified for use in investigating center pivot design and
management effects on infiltration, runoff and erosion of specific soil types. The center pivot simulator
used a hydraulic winch attached to the front of a tractor for mobilization and controlled travel speed. A 3
inch diameter 300 ft drag hose is used to supply water to the center pivot simulator. The center pivot
simulator was used to conduct two studies to investigate infiltration, runoff and erosion differences of
common commercially available center pivot sprinkler types on a Portneuf silt loam soil. Sprinklers used
in the first study were: 1) Nelson R3000 with brown plate, 2) Nelson R3000 with red plate, 3) Nelson
S3000 with purple plate, and 4) Senninger I-Wob with standard 9-groove plate. Measured runoff was
highly variable despite the controlled experimental conditions. Runoff from all sprinkler types increased
with number of irrigations indicating that soil surface sealing continued to increase without reaching a
maximum after five irrigations. Measured runoff tended to be the highest for the S3000 and I-Wob
sprinklers. Sediment loss tended to be highest for these sprinklers as well. The second study investigated
differences in runoff and erosion related to kinetic energy of sprinkler droplets from commercial center
pivot sprinklers. The sprinklers used in the study were: 1) Senninger I-Wob with standard 9-groove
plate, 2) Nelson R3000 with brown plate, 3)Nelson D3000 spray with flat plate and 4) sprinkler 3 with the
runoff plot covered with 20-mesh nylon window screen suspended about 1 inch above the soil surface to
eliminate sprinkler droplet impact on the bare soil surface. Covering the plot with screen to eliminate
sprinkler droplet impact resulted in significantly (p≤0.05) less runoff and sediment loss for all four
irrigation events. The D3000 and I-Wob sprinklers tended to have the greatest runoff and sediment
losses. Sprinkler type and configuration had a significant (p≤0.05) effect on runoff and erosion of a
Portneuf silt loam soil.

Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
NWISRL Publication Number: 1236
Subjects: Irrigation > Furrow irrigation > Erosion
Irrigation > Furrow irrigation > Infiltration
Irrigation > Sprinkler irrigation > Center pivot
Soil > Erosion
Mass Import - autoclassified (may be erroneous)
Depositing User: Dan Stieneke
Date Deposited: 20 Nov 2010 21:56
Last Modified: 31 Oct 2016 16:39
Item ID: 965
URI: https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/965