USE OF SIMULATION MODELING FOR ENHANCING POTATO PRODUCTION USING SUBSURFACE DRIP

Abstract

Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) is the most advanced method of irrigation, which enables the application of small amounts of water and nutrients to the soil through the drippers placed below the soil surface. Variations of soil structure, texture, and crop’s root development pattern preclude the possibility of framing general recommendations for installation depths of SDI system. The specific objective of this study was to assess the effect of depth of placement of drip tape on crop yield and application of Hydrus-2D model for the simulation of soil water. An experiment was conducted on potato (var. Kufri Anand) during October to February for 3 years (2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05) to study the effect of depth of placement of drip tape at five depths namely, surface (0), 5, 10, 15 and 20 cm. Distribution of soil water under field experiment and in model simulation at different growth stages agreed closely and the differences were statistically insignificant. Hydrus-2D model helped in designing the subsurface drip system for efficient use of water with minimum drainage in potato crop. Maximum yield was obtained by applying 23.6 cm of irrigation water and by placing the drip tape at 10 cm depth in the sandy loam soil of the experimental site.