Software utilizing Imhoff cone volumes to estimate furrow irrigation erosion

ABSTRACT:

Data analysis required for furrow-irrigation induced erosion research is greatly facilitated with the aid of computational software. Several programs have been developed at Kimberly, Idaho, that compute infiltration, runoff and sediment toss from the following inputs: inflow and runoff rates, sediment concentration in runoff determined by Imhoff cones, sampling times, furrow spacing, and row length. We found that more than one program type was required to meet various user needs. Two PC-based programs are presented for intense furrow monitoring, one employs spreadsheet software and the other is a PASCAL, program. They produce accurate estimates and display output in formats suited to quantitative evaluation or for further data reductions needed in research applications. An HP-IIC hand calculator program provides coarse diagnostic information that can easily be used by farm advisors to assess potential severity of furrow erosion in farmer's fields. The software have been extensively tested and are reliable. They can be used to quantify any component of runoff removal.