Experimental Study on Factors Effecting Soil Wetted Volume of Clay Loam Under Drip Irrigation

A series of experiments about the effect of discharge rate, soil bulk density and initial soil water content on soil wetted volume of clay loam soil were caried out in laboratory. The experiment result showed that soil bulk density and initial soil water content significantly affected the soil wetted volume; while the discharge rate did not. The shape and size of the wetted volume were more effected by the amount of water applied than that by the discharge rate. In case of interfered infiltration, the infiltration rate at interface was quicker than that in point source infiltration, and the soil wetted pattern on soil surface became a strip shape, which paralleled to the lateral.