Model for estimating technical parameters of sand furrow irrigation

Based on the analysis of the soil infiltration rule of the Sand Furrow Irrigation (SFI), a model for estimating the technical parameters for SFI is established according to the water-balance principle. These technical parameters are the ditch width and height, the permeable boundary height, and the emitter discharge rate. The experiments about the constant-head well infiltration and the Philip model are used to estimate the soil infiltration capacity. Based on the technical parameters calculated by this model, the experiments about the SFI are carried out to verify the model's feasibility. The factors affecting the model's accuracy are also analyzed. The results indicate that the model has the high precision to design the technical parameters for the SFI.The soil water sorption and soil water transmissivity are the function of the time in the two-dimensional constant-head well infiltration. The changing water depth and wetted perimeter are other factors affecting the model's accuracy.