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Title: MODELS FOR EVALUATING LEVEL BASIN IRRIGATION IN EGYPT

Author
item STRELKOFF, THEODOR - UNIV OF AZ, TUCSON, AZ
item Clemmens, Albert
item EL-ANSARY, M - ZAGAZIG UNIV, EGYPT
item AWAD, M - ZAGAZIG UNIV, EGYPT

Submitted to: Transactions of the ASAE
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/2/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Surface irrigation is currently practiced on about 90% of the irrigated land in Egypt, generally at low levels of performance. The 50% of irrigated land in the U.S. under surface irrigation also, in many cases, is not meeting its potential. Improper on-farm irrigation practices lead to poor water distribution, nonuniform crop growth, water logging in some areas, and build-up of salinity in others, all of which decrease the yield per unit of land area and per unit of water applied. This research is part of an effort to apply modern surface irrigation methods within Egypt's Nile Delta. However, Egyptian soils and cropping practices are different from those in the U.S., and standard recommendations are not always applicable. This research documents computer software that can be used to define field conditions from simple measurements applicable to both the U.S. and Egypt. These results were also used to verify computer simulation of the surface irrigation process under Egyptian conditions. With proper description of field conditions from this software, existing surface irrigation design methods can be applied to Egyptian conditions and aid in conversion to modern surface irrigation. The software is intended for use by research personnel and extension specialists and is applicable for both U.S. and Egyptian conditions.

Technical Abstract: The importance of evaluating field infiltration and roughness conditions for entry into surface-irrigation simulation and design programs is noted, as are departures of Egyptian conditions from those common in the U.S. Computerized interactive techniques for arriving at estimates of these parameters from extensive field measurements are presented. Entry of sample evaluations into the simulation program, SRFR, and comparison of th predicted and measured results constitute a verification of both the parameter estimation techniques and the simulation program.