Solute transport in simulated conductivity fields under different irrigations

The interactive effect of irrigation methods and spatial variability of saturated hydraulic conductivity (K-s) on solute transport was determined with the combined use of a two-dimensional deterministic solute transport model and a stochastic parameter generator: In a homogeneous K-s field, the time required to infiltrate a prescribed amount of water or chemical increased from sprinkler to furrow to drip irrigation. Furrow irrigation appeared to leach the chemical more rapidly than either drip or sprinkler irrigation, Assuming the spatial distribution of K-s to be a stationary stochastic process, increased spatial variability in K-s reduced the infiltration rate. When K-s is spatially correlated, sprinkler irrigation appeared to be less susceptible to cause ground-water contamination than furrow or drip irrigation. The concentration distributions in the uncorrelated K-s field were not very different from those in the homogeneous field.