A Comprehensive Model for Hydraulic Analysis and Wetting Patterns Simulation under Subsurface Drip Laterals

In the absence of suitable specialized models to simulate the soil wetting patterns in subsurface drip irrigation systems considering the hydraulic conditions along the laterals, a new model was developed and named a “comprehensive model” in this study. This model couples the subsurface drip irrigation lateral characteristics with the soil hydraulic properties and utilizes the Hydrus-3D software as a complementary section of the model to simulate the wetting front beneath the lateral. To evaluate the model, three 16 mm drip-line pipes of 62 m length with 20, 40, and 50 cm spacing emitters and 2 to 5 L/h discharge were buried at 0.2 m depth in a soil box containing clay loamy soil. Then, the…