Analytical Approximation of Subsurface Total Drainage Quantity in Non-Steady State Drainage Flow, and its Verification in Heavy Soils

The subsurface total drainagequantity is one of the most importantindicators for the drainage policy of watermanagement. The methods of estimationof the subsurface total drainage quantityunder unsteady state drainage flow maybe different in consideration of the timeduration of the process and in relation tothe type, quality and quantity of the data used.Simple analytical approximation of thesubsurface total drainage quantity, whichwas developed by the operation of asubsurface pipe drainage system insaturated soil under unsteady statedrainage flow, is viewed in this paper.Derivation of the formula for subsurfacetotal drainage quantity is based onthe subsurface flow to drains with anapproximately horizontal impervious layer,where the Dupuit's assumptions and Darcy'slaw are applied. It is assumed that duringthe drainage process there will be no rechargeto the groundwater table.This analytical approximation of thesubsurface total drainage quantity at acertain time t was formed into a singleexponential equation. The correctness andapplicability of the analyticalapproximation of the subsurface totaldrainage quantity was verified with the help ofthe field measurements on the heavy soilsof an experimental watershed area of theResearch Institute for Soil and WaterConservation (RISWC) Prague-Zbraslav, CzechRepublic. The shape and the parameters ofthis subsurface total drainage quantityequation were also proved by nonlinearregression analysis, with application of themethod of Marquardt.This analytical approximation should serveas an elementary tool of water engineeringpractice for an immediate estimation of thevalues of subsurface total drainagequantities from field pipe drainagesystems in saturated soils. It shouldalso serve as a tool with only a minimumamount of information (the basic soilhydrology data and drainage system basicdesign parameters) and its application to awide range of drainage policies ispossible.     

葡萄分层地下滴灌滴头布设深度优化

为解决不同树龄葡萄根系的差异使得地下滴灌系统在布设应用中存在的困难,采用室内试验和HYDRUS-2D数值模拟相结合的方法,以宁夏和关中葡萄产区为例,研究了2种土质条件下分层地下滴灌土壤水分运动规律,提出了分层地下滴灌带最佳布设深度.研究结果表明,HYDRUS-2D模拟值与试验实测值具有良好的吻合度.地下滴灌带的埋深直接影响土壤水分的分布,2种土质下湿润体内部处于最佳含水率区间的土壤体积随滴头间距的增加而增大.通过适当增大浅层滴头埋深并减小深层滴头埋深可减小表层水分无效损耗.从避免水分无效消耗以及提高湿润体与根系匹配效果等角度出发,建议关中地区葡萄单滴头灌溉且适宜滴灌带布设深度为20 cm;宁夏贺兰山地区滴灌带布设深度以15 cm和45 cm为宜.     

Subsurface drainage performance study using SALTMOD and ANN models

Relative performance of artificial neural networks (ANNs) and the conceptual model SALTMOD was studied in simulating subsurface drainage effluent and root zone soil salinity in the coastal rice fields of Andhra Pradesh, India. Three ANN models viz. Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN), General Regression Neural Network (GRNN) and Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN) were developed for this purpose. Both the ANNs and the SALTMOD were calibrated and validated using the field data of 1998–2001 for 35 and 55 m drain spacing areas. Data on irrigation depth, evapotranspiration, drain discharges, water table depths, mean monthly rainfall and temperature and drainage effluent salinity were used for ANN model training, testing and validation. It was observed that the BPNN model with feed forward learning rule with 6 processing elements in input layer and 1 hidden layer with 12 processing elements performed better than the other ANN models in predicting the root zone soil salinity and drainage effluent salinity. Considering coefficient of determination, model efficiency and variation between the observed and predicted salinity values as the evaluation parameters, the SALTMOD performed better in predicting root zone soil salinity and the BPNN performed better in predicting the drainage effluent salinity. Therefore, it was concluded that the BPNN with feed forward learning algorithm was a better model than SALTMOD in predicting salinity of drainage effluent from salt affected subsurface drained rice fields.     

Modified steady state drainage equations for transient conditions in subsurface drainage

The steady state drainage solutions of Ernst, Dagan and van Beers were modified to predict the rate of fall (or rise) of water table midway between drain lines by using the integration technique of Bouwer and van Schilfgaarde. The same assumption to account for the non-uniformity of flux per unit area because of the change in the shape of the water table during recession, was followed.

The integrated equations of Ernst, Dagan and van Beers were compared with the integrated equation of Hooghoudt and of Toksoz and Kirkham which were developed by Bouwer and van Schilfgaarde and the non-steady equation of van Schilfgaarde, using the field data for falling water table collected from subsurface drainage experiment in the saline soil of Mundlana, India. From the comparison of predicted and actual hydraulic heads it was observed that all the equations showed good agreement. No specific trend for the behaviour of different equations could be found from the analysis of field observations at geographically different experimental locations given by Bouwer and van Schilfgaarde, Nwa and Twocock and El-Mowelhi and Hermsmeier.     

暗管排水条件下微咸水灌溉对土壤盐分动态及夏玉米生长的影响

进行暗管排水条件下微咸水灌溉田间试验,设置3种暗管埋深,分别为80 cm(D1)、120 cm(D2)以及无暗管排水(D0),3种微咸水浓度,其电导率分别为0.78 dS/m(S1),3.75 dS/m(S2)和6.25 dS/m(S3),共9个处理,每个处理3组重复.试验结果表明:暗管排水措施可以有效排除微咸水灌溉过程中土壤中累积的盐分;在玉米全生育期内,暗管埋深D1条件下,3种浓度微咸水S1,S2和S3灌溉时根系土壤电导率分别下降了39.00%,31.56%和29.43%,暗管埋深D2条件下,根系土壤电导率则分别下降了31.91%,18.08%和7.44%;夏玉米干物质累积量、穗棒累积量和穗棒质量分配率及最终产量均随着微咸水浓度的升高而降低;在相同微咸水浓度下,不同暗管埋设条件下的夏玉米最终产量从大到小依次为D1,D2,D0;3种暗管埋设条件下的作物需水量从大到小依次为D0,D2,D1的规律;暗管埋深80 cm的处理(D1)下夏玉米水分利用效率最高,而未埋设暗管的处理(D0)水分利用效率最低;当暗管埋设条件一定时,夏玉米水分利用效率随微咸水浓度的升高呈逐渐降低的趋势.     

Water and nitrate distributions as affected by layered-textural soil and buried dripline depth under subsurface drip fertigation

Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the distributions of water and nitrate from a buried dripline discharging an ammonium nitrate solution in uniform and layered-textural soils. Two layered soils, a sandy-over-loam soil (SL) and a loam-sandy-loam soil (LSL), and two uniform soils of sandy (S) and loam (L) were tested. The experimental results demonstrated that dripline depth and layered-textural soil greatly affected water and nitrate distribution. Wetted depth increased with dripline depth and initial soil water content for both uniform and layered soils. The distribution pattern of water in the layered soils was controlled by the layering sequence and the dripline position relative to the interface between two soil layers. Water accumulation occurred in the fine-textural layer of soil for the layered soils. For the sandy-over-loam soil (SL), positioning the dripline below the interface led to much water (89%) moving to the sublayer of loam soil than positioning the dripline above the interface (73%). For the loam-sandy-loam soil (LSL), positioning the dripline in the top layer of loam soil resulted in 77% of water applied distributed in the top layer, while positioning the dripline in the bottom layer of loam soil resulted in 93% of water applied distributed in the bottom layer. Measurements of nitrate distribution showed that nitrate concentration in the proximity of the dripline and of the water accumulation zone approximated the input concentration while nitrate accumulated at the boundary of the wetted volume for both uniform and layered soils tested. The results from this study suggest that the dripline depth should be carefully selected in the design of subsurface drip irrigation systems for layered soils to obtain a target distribution of water and nitrate.     

Measured and simulated soil wetting patterns under porous clay pipe sub-surface irrigation

Sub-surface irrigation with porous clay pipe can be an efficient, water saving method of irrigation for many less developed arid and semi-arid regions. Maximizing the efficiency of clay pipe irrigation requires guidelines and criteria for system design and operation. In this study, experimental and simulated (with HYDRUS (2D/3D)) soil wetting patterns were investigated for sub-surface pipe systems operating at different water pressures. Predictions of the soil water content made with HYDRUS were found to be in good agreement (R² = 0.98) with the observed data. Additional simulations with HYDRUS were used to study the effects of various design parameters on soil wetting. Increasing the system pressure increased the size of the wetted zone. The installation depth affects the recommended lateral spacing as well as the amount of evaporative water loss. For a given water application, the potential rate of surface evaporation affected the shape of the wetted region only minimally. Soil texture, due to its connection to soil hydraulic conductivity and water retention, has a larger impact on the wetting geometry. In general, greater horizontal spreading occurs in fine texture soils, or in the case of layered soils, in the finer textured layers.     

膜下滴灌暗管排水规律及土壤脱盐效果试验研究

为了探索膜下滴灌盐碱地在灌溉过程中暗管排水规律及土壤脱盐效率,设计了一种暗管排水模型试验装置系统来探究灌溉过程中暗管排水规律和排盐效果.试验通过控制灌水时间、灌水量、观测并记录暗管出水时间、排水流量、排水矿化度、土壤盐分剖面等指标,分析灌溉排水过程中暗管排水流速和排水矿化度特征以及各土层土壤脱盐效率.结果表明:经过3次灌水淋洗试验后,暗管排水流速最终趋于1.5~3.5 L/h稳定范围,排水矿化度稳定在20~40 g/L内;0~40 cm土层脱盐率高达85%,0~80 cm土层土壤脱盐率为80.5%,两暗管中间位置处脱盐率最小分别为57.96%,56.73%,69.29%,暗管上方脱盐率最大分别为71.73%,73.34%,84.26%,暗管排盐量占0~80 cm土层总盐分含量的28.9%,其余盐分被淋洗到了80 cm土层以下.     

Management guidelines for efficient irrigation of vegetables using closed-end level furrows

Closed-end level furrows are commonly used to irrigate vegetables in the Lower Colorado River region (LCRR). The application efficiency of furrow irrigation in this area is often low. The objective of this study is to develop management tools and guidelines for the efficient irrigation of vegetables using closed-end level furrows. The study consisted of field experiment and modeling (model calibration, model verification, and the development of management tools by simulation). Field experiments were performed over a period of 27 months. Infiltration parameters were estimated for four soil textural groups (i.e., moderately coarse textured, medium textured, moderately fine textured, and fine textured soils) using a two-point method modified for closed-end level furrows. Model verification shows that the surface irrigation hydraulic model used in this study (SRFR) is capable of simulating the furrow irrigation process with acceptable levels of accuracy. Results of the study also indicate that adequate and efficient irrigations can be achieved using closed-end level furrows through the proper selection of unit inlet flow rate, Q_o, and cutoff time, t_co. However, given the soil and crop combinations in the LCRR, sometimes significant increases in irrigation efficiency, compared to present levels, can be attained only if furrow lengths are shorter than the typical size currently in use in the LCRR. Limitations of the proposed management tools and on-going research to address these limitations are briefly discussed.     

Dynamics and modeling of soil water under subsurface drip irrigated onion

Subsurface drip irrigation provides water to the plants around the root zone while maintaining a dry soil surface. A problem associated with the subsurface drip irrigation is the formation of cavity at the soil surface above the water emission points. This can be resolved through matching dripper flow rates to the soil hydraulic properties. Such a matching can be obtained either by the field experiments supplemented by modeling. Simulation model (Hydrus-2D) was used and tested in onion crop (Allium cepa L.) irrigated through subsurface drip system during 2002-2003, 2003-2004 and 2004-2005. Onion was transplanted at a plant to plant and row to row spacing of 10 cm × 15 cm with 3 irrigation levels and 6 depths of placement of drip lateral. The specific objective of this study was to assess the effect of depth of placement of drip laterals on crop yield and application of Hydrus-2D model for the simulation of soil water. In sandy loam soils, it was observed that operating pressures of up to 1.0 kg cm⁻² did not lead to the formation of cavity above the subsurface dripper having drippers of 2.0 l h⁻¹ discharge at depths up to 30 cm. Wetted soil area of 60 cm wide and up to a depth of 30 cm had more than 18% soil water content, which was conducive for good growth of crop resulting in higher onion yields when drip laterals were placed either on soil surface or placed up to depths of 15 cm. In deeper placement of drip lateral (20 and 30 cm below surface), adequate soil water was found at 30, 45 and 60 cm soil depth. Maximum drainage occurred when drip lateral was placed at 30 cm depth. Maximum onion yield was recorded at 10 cm depth of drip lateral (25.7 t ha⁻¹). The application of Hydrus-2D confirmed the movement of soil water at 20 and 30 cm depth of placement of drip laterals. The model performance in simulating soil water was evaluated by comparing the measured and predicted values using three parameters namely, AE, RMSE and model efficiency. Distribution of soil water under field experiment and by model simulation at different growth stages agreed closely and the differences were statistically insignificant. The use of Hydrus-2D enabled corroborating the conclusions derived from the field experimentation made on soil water distribution at different depths of placement of drip laterals. This model helped in designing the subsurface drip system for efficient use of water with minimum drainage.     

Managing irrigation and drainage systems in arid areas in the presence of shallow groundwater: case studies

Two field studies were conducted on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley of California to demonstrate the potential for integrated management of irrigation and drainage systems. The first study used a modified cotton crop coefficient to calculate the irrigation schedule controlling the operation of a subsurface drip system irrigating cotton in an area with saline groundwater at a depth of 1.5 m. Use of the coefficient resulted in 40% of the crop water requirement coming from the groundwater without a loss in lint yield. The second study evaluated the impact of the installation of controls on a subsurface drainage system installed on a 65 hectare field. As a result of the drainage controls, 140 mm less water was applied to the tomato crop without a yield loss. A smaller relative weight of tomatoes classified as limited use, was found in the areas with the water table closest to the soil surface.     

Soil moisture distribution patterns under surface and subsurface drip irrigation systems in sandy soil using neutron scattering technique

This study was carried out at the experimental field station of the Atomic Energy Authority in Anshas, Egypt, by the aim of assessing the soil moisture status under surface and subsurface drip irrigation systems, as a function of the variation in the distance between drippers along and between laterals. Moisture measurements were carried out using neutron moisture meter technique, and water distribution uniformity was assessed by applying Surfer Model. The presented data indicated that the soil moisture distribution and its uniformity within the soil profile under surface drip was to great extent affected by the distance between drippers rather than that between laterals. Generally, the soil moisture distribution under using 30-cm dripper spacing was better than of that under 50 cm. Under subsurface drip irrigation, the allocation of the irrigation system was the factor that dominantly affected the moisture trend under the studied variables. Installing the system at 30 cm from the soil surface is the one to be recommended as it represents the active root zone for most vegetable crops, beside it leads to a better water saving in sandy soils than that allocated at 15 cm depth.     

Influence of subsurface drainage on crop production and soil quality in a low-lying acid sulphate soil

Kuttanad, the low-lying tract in Kerala State of south-west India, is a place where drainage problems have caused the agricultural production to remain low. The problem is more severe in the acid sulphate soils of Kuttanad. Besides the problems inherent to acid sulphate soils, the area also experiences problems of flooding, lack of fresh water and intrusion of saline water from the Arabian Sea. A subsurface drainage system consisting of 10 cm diameter clay tiles, each of 60 cm length, was installed at a depth of 1 m with two different spacings of 15 and 30 m for evaluating its influence in improving soil quality and crop production. Many of the critical crop growth parameters in the subsurface drained area, particularly the grain yield and 100 grain weight, were significantly superior to that of the ill-drained areas. Drain spacings up to 30 m was found to significantly improve the productivity of the area. The overall increase in rice yield due to subsurface drainage was 1.36 t/ha. It was also found that subsurface drainage could remove the chemical heterogeneity of soil which is the root cause for patchy crop growth and uneven ripening of rice crop in the area. Acidity in the subsurface drained area was always lower throughout the cropping season. The salinity in the soil could be controlled considerably by subsurface drainage. The iron transformations were not serious enough to cause concern for rice cultivation when subsurface drainage was adopted. Accumulation of sulphates in insoluble form occurred during drainage due to the oxidation of pyrite. Subsurface drainage was also very efficient in leaching sodium, calcium and magnesium. Chloride content in soil decreased drastically during drainage.     

外包滤料对暗管排水与土壤脱盐效果的影响

为了探究不同外包滤料条件下的暗管排水性能和土壤脱盐效果,基于室内试验研究成果,在田间设置4种暗管排水系统(各系统中暗管埋深均为80 cm,间距均为20 m),所用外包滤料分别为68 g/m²土工布(L)、砂滤料(S)、68 g/m²土工布+砂滤料(LS)和无外包滤料(W),以当地常规明沟排水(CK)作为对照,通过田间试验分析了春灌过程中各暗管系统的排水性能指标及土壤脱盐效率.结果表明:相比处理W,处理L,S和LS平均排水速率提升了7.44%,12.55%和15.75%,平均流量衰减度降低4.07%;处理S和LS累积排水量提高了5.11%和8.31%(P<0.05).各暗管处理春灌后平均土壤脱盐率均达47%以上,较CK提升显著,其中处理LS效果最优,为50.94%.综上,应优先选择处理LS作为河套灌区暗管排水系统外包滤料布设方案.该研究结果可为河套灌区暗管排盐技术的推广应用提供理论支撑和科学指导.     

土壤中Cr(Ⅵ)的地表径流迁移试验研究

为了探讨农田土壤中重金属的地表径流污染,以含有吸附性溶质重铬酸钾Cr(Ⅵ)的土壤为试验材料,开展了室内模拟降雨试验,以研究土壤中Cr(Ⅵ)的地表径流迁移规律.通过对比分析不同试验条件下地表径流中溶解性溶质Cr(Ⅵ)的质量浓度变化过程,及其在地表径流和地下排水溶液中流失的质量速率过程后发现,溶解性溶质Cr(Ⅵ)流失到地表径流溶液中的质量浓度随时间以乘幂函数形式减小.当试验中地下排水条件越差、土壤初始体积含水率越大、地表最大积水深度越浅时,土壤溶质流失到地表径流中的溶解性Cr(Ⅵ)质量浓度越高,相应的土壤溶质流失到地表径流中的质量速率越大.当试验中同时有地下排水和地表径流产生时,土壤中溶解性Cr(Ⅵ)流失到地下排水中的质量速率远远大于地表径流,表明土壤中溶解性Cr(Ⅵ)大部分流失在地下排水中.     

改进暗管排水技术淤堵防护措施试验研究

基于室内土柱试验,依据太沙基准则,考虑2种反滤体铺设方式、2种土工布类型以及3种土工布铺设位置,模拟改进暗管排水条件下反滤体或土工布的单一防护措施以及反滤体与土工布结合的组合防护措施下排水流量的衰减过程,得到不同方案的土工布淤堵量及土壤流失量,提出改进暗管排水条件下反滤体及土工布的合理布局。研究结果表明,依据太沙基准则选择改进暗管排水的砂砾石规格是合理可行的;仅在暗管周围铺设土工布的分层和混合反滤体方案对防护土工布淤堵和土壤流失均有较好效果;综合考虑流量衰减过程、土工布淤堵量和土壤流失量,确保改进暗管排水的长期稳定运行,应优先考虑分层反滤体结合暗管周围铺设合理土工布的方案。     

A modified checkbook irrigation method based on GIS-coupled model for regional irrigation scheduling

In this study, a regional irrigation schedule optimization method was proposed and applied in Fengqiu County in the North China Plain, which often suffers serious soil water drainage and nitrogen (N) leaching problems caused by excessive irrigation. The irrigation scheduling method was established by integrating the ‘checkbook irrigation method’ into a GIS-coupled soil water and nitrogen management model (WNMM) as an extension. The soil water and crop information required by the checkbook method, and previously collected from field observations, was estimated by the WNMM. By replacing manually observed data with simulated data from WNMM, the application range of the checkbook method could be extended from field scale to regional scale. The WNMM and the checkbook irrigation method were both validated by field experiments in the study region. The irrigation experiment in fluvo–aquic soil showed that the checkbook method had excellent performance; soil water drainage and N leaching were reduced by 83.1 and 85.6%, respectively, when compared with local farmers’ flood irrigation. Using the validated WNMM, the performance of checkbook irrigation in an entire winter wheat and summer maize rotation was also validated: the average soil water drainage and N leaching in four types of soils decreased from 331 to 75 mm year⁻¹ and 47.7 to 9.3 kg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, respectively; and average irrigation water use efficiency increased from 26.5 to 57.2 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹. The regional irrigation schedule optimization method based on WNMM was applied in Fengqiu County. The results showed a good effect on saving irrigation water, decreasing soil water drainage and then saving agricultural inputs. In a typical meteorological year, it could save >110 mm of irrigation water on average, translating to >7.26 × 10⁷ m³ of agricultural water saved each year within the county. Annual soil water drainage was reduced to <143 mm and N leaching to <27 kg ha⁻¹ in most soils, all of which were significantly lower than local farmers’ flood irrigation. In the mean time, crop yield also had an average increase of 2,890 kg ha⁻¹ when checkbook irrigation was applied.     

鲁北主要粮食作物防渍标准的研究

根据在鲁北地区开展的几种主要粮食作物耐渍涝的大田调查和筒栽试验，通过对地表水、地下水和土壤水的动态观测，分析土壤通气率对作物生态的影响，。而提出了玉米、大豆、高粱、谷子不同生育期的耐涝和耐渍的控制标准极限及其高水位允许的持续时间，可为同类地区规划在田排水工程提供设计参数和科学依据。     

Subsurface drainage to combat waterlogging and salinity in irrigated lands in India: Lessons learned in farmers’ fields

The introduction of irrigated agriculture in the arid and semi-arid regions of India has resulted in the development of the twin problem of waterlogging and soil salinization. It is estimated that nearly 8.4 million ha is affected by soil salinity and alkalinity, of which about 5.5 million ha is also waterlogged. Subsurface drainage is an effective tool to combat this twin problem of waterlogging and salinity and thus to protect capital investment in irrigated agriculture and increase its sustainability. In India, however, subsurface drainage has not been implemented on a large scale, in spite of numerous research activities that proved its potential. To develop strategies to implement subsurface drainage, applied research studies were set-up in five different agro-climatic sub-regions of India. Subsurface drainage systems, consisting of open and pipe drains with drain spacing varying between 45 and 150 m and drain depth between 0.90 and 1.20 m, were installed in farmers’ fields. The agro-climatic and soil conditions determine the most appropriate combination of drain depth and spacing, but the drain depths are considerably shallower than the 1.75 m traditionally recommended for the prevailing conditions in India. Crop yields in the drained fields increased significantly, e.g. rice with 69%, cotton with 64%, sugarcane with 54% and wheat with 136%. These increases were obtained because water table and soil salinity levels were, respectively, 25% and 50% lower than in the non-drained fields. An economic analysis shows that the subsurface drainage systems are highly cost-effective: cost-benefit ratios range from 1.2 to 3.2, internal rates of return from 20 to 58%, and the pay-back periods from 3 to 9 years. Despite these positive results, major challenges remain to introduce subsurface drainage at a larger scale. First of all, farmers, although they clearly see the benefits of drainage, are too poor to pay the full cost of drainage. Next, water users’ organisations, not only for drainage but also for irrigation, are not well established. Subsurface drainage in irrigated areas is a collective activity, thus appropriate institutional arrangements for farmers’ participation and organisation are needed. Thus, to assure that drainage gets the attention it deserves, policies have to be reformulated.     

A methodology for up-scaling irrigation losses

This paper presents a methodology for up-scaling field irrigation losses and quantifying relative losses at the irrigation area level for potential water savings. Two levels of analysis were considered: First, the field level where irrigation is applied. Second, the irrigation area level, where the field level losses are aggregated, or up-scaled, using average loss functions. In this up-scaling approach, detailed crop-soil-water modelling can capture the variability of physical parameters (such as soils, crops, water table depth, and management practices) at the field level which are then used to derive loss functions for aggregating losses at higher scales (irrigation area level). This allows potential field-level adaptations and water management changes made by individual farmers to be assessed for impact at the larger irrigation area level. The APSIM farming systems model was used for simulation of crops (wheat, rice, and soybean) and their interaction with the wider system processes at the field level. Given the climate, soil, and management information (sowing, fertilisation, irrigation, and residue management), the model simulates infiltration, the soil moisture profile, plant water uptake, soil evaporation, and deep drainage on a daily basis. Then, by placing the field level analysis in the context of the wider irrigation system or catchment, it is possible to correlate field level interventions (e.g. water savings measures) with water requirements at these higher levels. Application of this method in the Coleambally Irrigation Area in NSW, Australia, demonstrated that an exponential function can describe the relationship between deep drainage losses and the water table depth for different soil, crop, and water table depth combinations. The rate of loss increase (slope of the curve) with the water table depth is higher on lighter (higher intake rates) soils than on heavy soils and is more pronounced in areas under rice cultivation. We also demonstrate that this analysis technique can assist in identifying spatial distribution of losses in irrigation areas, considering water table depth as an additional factor, leading to targeted areas for water-saving measures.