EFFECT OF SUBSURFACE DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM DEPTH ON SOIL WATER CONTENT DISTRIBUTION AT DIFFERENT DEPTHS AND DIFFERENT TIMES AFTER IRRIGATION

Abstract

To properly manage subsurface drip irrigation (SDI), and increase the efficiency of the water use while reducing water losses due to evaporation, the precise distribution of water around the emitters must be known. In this paper, we’ll evaluate how different irrigation depths applied with SDI affected the redistribution of soil moisture in the semiarid climate of Tunisia. Data shows that with suitable management, SDI at 35cm depth can achieve higher efficiency rates with limited water to maximize yields. The objective of this work was to evaluate soil moisture distribution before and after irrigation in an experiment carried out in the Higher Institute of Agronomy of Chott Meriem under subsurface drip irrigation. The results show that soil moisture is relatively more stable for subsurface drip irrigation buried at 35cm (T3) than those buried at 5 (T1) and 20cm (T2) with a slight difference except of water’s contributions. There was greater increase in volumetric soil water content for T3 than for T1 and T2 with statistically significant increases.