Performance Evaluation of the Geocomposite Water Emitting Sheets on the Soil Moisture Distribution Pattern in Subsurface Irrigation System

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of water Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran

10.22034/nawee.2026.576685.1200
Abstract
Objective: The primary objective of this research was to investigate the influence of dimensions and material types of geocomposite irrigation plates on soil moisture distribution patterns.
Methods: The experiment was conducted as a two-factor factorial design based on a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. The first factor involved geocomposite plate dimensions at three levels (4×4, 8×8, and 12×12 cm). The second factor compared two material types: Type 1 consisted of two geotextile layers sandwiching a geonet, and Type 2 consisted of one geotextile layer and one geomembrane layer on either side of the geonet. A pressure-compensating emitter (8 L/h) with a cover served as the control treatment (CTRL).
Results: Results indicated that 12×12 cm geocomposite plates with one geotextile layer and one geomembrane layer (12TM) achieved the most significant effect and optimal wetted bulb conditions. This treatment resulted in a 37% reduction in the soil surface wetted area and a 28.19% increase in the maximum wetted area of the soil moisture profile compared to the control. The maximum wetted area was associated with the 12TM treatment (approximately 4500 cm²), while the minimum was recorded for the control (3250 cm²).
Conclusions: Overall, the results demonstrated that the utilization of geocomposite irrigation plates significantly reduced the surface wetted area while increasing the maximum wetted area within the soil profile, with statistical significance at the 1% level.

Keywords


 
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