Evaluation of border irrigation performance based on spatial variability of infiltration parameters

Objective evaluation on border irrigation performance is an essential basis to set up a proper irrigation scheme. Assumed that the soil characteristics spatial variability can be directly reflected from the changes of infiltration coefficient, taken the border irrigation experiments conducted in Yangling District with the clay loam and sandy loam as study objects, the effects of the soil characteristics spatial variability to irrigation performance were analyzed and the changes of irrigation performance of border irrigation were revealed. Results showed that irrigation efficiency, distribution uniformity and storage efficiency decreased with the infiltration variation coefficient increased. The decrease range of the irrigation application efficiency and storage efficiency was smaller respectively compared with that of distribution uniformity. Therefore the spatial variability of soil infiltration coefficient has greater effect on distribution uniformity than the irrigation application efficiency and storage efficiency. The method proposed in this paper can much better reflect the actual irrigation performance of border irrigation and provide a proper irrigation scheme with theoretical foundation and technological support.