A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Environment, Resources and Development

Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1988

A study has been made to evaluate the effect of spatial variability of soil physical properties on design of level basin method of irrigation. Infiltration characteristics were scaled to simulate the effect of spatial variability. The study describes a procedure for designing level basin method of irrigation using volume balance as well as zero inertia approaches taking soil variability into account. Water front advance as predicted by zero inertia model for spatially varying infiltration has been compared with the observed advance trajectory and discussed . Model simulation at predetermined space increments rather than at specified time increments was utilized. Spatially varying infiltration simulations as obtained from volume balance and zero inertia approaches are compared wi th spatially uniform infiltration. The application efficiency and distr ibution uniformity for spatially varying and spatially uniform soil physical properties were investigated.