Effects of emitter discharge rates on soil salinity distribution and cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.) yield under drip irrigation with plastic mulch in an arid region of Northwest China

A field experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of different emitter discharge rates under drip irrigation on soil salinity distribution and cotton yield in an extreme arid region of Tarim River catchment in Northwest China. Four treatments of emitter discharge rates, i.e. 1.8, 2.2, 2.6 and 3.2 L/h, were designed under drip irrigation with plastic mulch in this paper. The salt distribution in the range of 70-cm horizontal distance and 100-cm vertical distance from the emitter was measured and analyzed during the cotton growing season. The soil salinity is expressed in terms of electrical conductivity （dS/m） of the saturated soil extract （ECe）, which was measured using Time Domain Reflector （TDR） 20 times a year, including 5 irrigation events and 4 measured times before/after an irrigation event. All the treatments were repeated 3 times. The groundwater depth was observed by SEBA MDS Dipper 3 automatically at three experimental sites. The results showed that the order of reduction in averaged soil salinity was 2.6 L/h 〉 2.2 L/h 〉 1.8 L/h 〉 3.2 L/h after the completion of irrigation for the 3-year cotton growing season. Therefore, the choice of emitter discharge rate is considerably important in arid silt loam. Usually, the ideal emitter discharge rate is 2.4-3.0 L/h for soil desalinization with plastic mulch, which is advisable mainly because of the favorable salt leaching of silt loam and the climatic conditions in the studied arid area. Maximum cotton yield was achieved at the emitter discharge rate of 2.6 L/h under drip irrigation with plastic mulch in silty soil at the study site. Hence, the emitter discharge rate of 2.6 L/h is recommended for drip irrigation with plastiic mulch applied in silty soil in arid regions.

Emitter discharge characteristics of vertical tube irrigation affected by various factors

To examine the working principle of vertical tube irrigation, variations in vertical tube emitter discharge and their causes were analyzed in the laboratory experiment. The effects of the pressure head, initial soil water content, and tube diameter on the emitter discharge of the vertical tube were studied. The results show that quantitative relationship between the time and cumulative infiltration and emitter discharge of the vertical tube is obtained, and R 2 is more than 0.98. Emitter discharge exhibits a positive and negative correlation with the pressure head and soil water content, respectively. Tube dia- meter has a nonsignificant effect on the emitter discharge. Changes of the soil water content around the emitter water outlet are the main causes of emitter discharge variations. In the experiments, the range of vertical tube emitter discharge is 0.056-1.102 L/h. The emitter of vertical tube irrigation automatically adjusts the soil water content and maintains the root zone soil water content within an appropriate range, which achieves continuous irrigation, and further achieves the effect of water-saving.