Comparison of Multilevel Calibration and Volume Balance Method for Estimating Furrow Infiltration

Abstract

Furrow irrigation is one of the oldest methods of irrigation in which the soil surface is used to convey and infiltrate water. The most important problem in the path of improving furrow irrigation performance is the difficulty of estimating the infiltration function. In this study, the multilevel calibration method and the volume balance approach were used for estimating the Kostiakov-Lewis infiltration equation parameters and roughness coefficient for the constant and cutback inflow hydrograph shapes for furrow irrigation using field data. The multilevel calibration method predicts the total volume of runoff and infiltration with less relative error than the volume balance approach. The results of this study indicate that the simple volume balance approach and the multilevel calibration method predicted infiltration equation parameters and roughness coefficient with nearly the same accuracy, but the volume balance approach involved shorter execution times and required less iteration through the simulation algorithms than the multilevel calibration method.