Abstract

ROMAY, Catalina; SAINATO, Claudia Mabel; ISEAS, Mariano Santiago  and  LEMEILLET, Fabián. BEHAVIOR OF THE WATER INFILTRATION PROCESS IN A SOIL UNDER SUPPLEMENTARY IRRIGATION. Cienc. suelo [online]. 2023, vol.41, n.1, pp.121-150.  Epub Nov 30, 2023. ISSN 1850-2067.

Given the diversity of effects on water infiltration observed under irrigation, it is of interest to deepen the understanding of this process and its relationship with soil properties. The objective of this work was to determine changes in the infiltration process as a consequence of supplementary irrigation (central pivot) through the analysis and modeling of the physical variables involved. Twenty infiltration tests (double ring) were carried out in sites from the same cartographic unit (Chacabuco series) under irrigation with water from the aquifer. The treatments were with and without irrigation (rainfed) at two moments (before corn (Zea mays L.) crop season and after corn harvest). Initial water content, texture, and bulk density were determined, and the quality of water was assessed. For the analysis, field data were adjusted to the theoretical models of Kostiakov (1932), Kostiakov-Lewis (1937), Green and Ampt (1911), and Philip (1957). A t-test was performed for a paired design of the steady infiltration rate, hydraulic conductivity, and sortivity. The applied models and the obtained parameters reflected the textural characteristics of the soils under study. The infiltration adjusted by the Kostiakov and Kostiakov-Lewis models was coincident. Initially the steady infiltration rate was higher in the sector under irrigation, but decreased to values similar to those under rainfed conditions at the end of the season. Improvements in the cumulative infiltration in the sector under irrigation due to the preceding crop (wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)) were not preserved in the period under study. The decrease in the infiltration rate during the first minute could be explained by the predominance of bicarbonate and sodium ions in the irrigation water and its low saline concentration, increasing of the exchangeable sodium percentage in the first centimeters of the irrigated sites. No effects of irrigation on the hydraulic conductivity and sortivity of the soils were observed.

Keywords : flow in porous medium; soil properties; models..

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