ABSTRACT
The mathematical models to forecast the surface irrigation are valuable tools capable to take into consideration several design alternatives with reduced cost and time. The aim of this study was to develop, in the Pascal language, a simplified computer mathematical model to simulate the furrow irrigation advance phase based on the Manning equation for the uniform water flow in channels and on the Kostiakov-Lewis equation. The furrow is hypothetically divided in small fixed space cells, in which the flow is assumed to be uniform and the "n" Manning roughness coefficient variable. Water balance along the furrow was studied considering the water infiltrated and that supplied from preceding segment. When it was used field measurements of high precision, the simulated values of advance time at the end of the field differed in 0.71% from those obtained in the field. Even when the model was tested under usual operation and management conditions, it still provided satisfactory results, showing an average of the differences between the simulated and measured times equal to 8.22%. The model showed to be a useful tool in the design of furrow irrigation systems.
Key words:
furrow irrigation; advance phase; simulation