Simulation of Determining the Depth of Sand Column Placement in Three Soil Textures for Apple Tree Drip Irrigation System

Drip irrigation systems are a proper technique to supply water for plants in the root zone. The management of this method relies on the science of water distribution in the volume of wet soil. Simulation models can be used to obtain this valuable knowledge. In this study, simulation of sand column in the root zone of apple tree under drip irrigation system was done to determine the optimal depth of the sand column in three various soil textures to investigate how water is uptake by the roots, water consumption, evaporation rate and deep penetration using The HYDRUS-2D model was examined. The results of this study showed that in the loam soil texture when the depth of the sand column is in the range of 10-15 cm and in the silty loam soil texture of the sand column to a depth of 5 to 10 cm, the rate of infiltration, water consumption and evaporation will be significantly less than the maximum so that the rate of deep penetration in the silty loam soil texture has decreased by 55% and in the loam soil texture by 35% compared to the maximum state. and finally, the studied scenarios showed that in sandy loam soil texture, due to the lightness of soil texture, the use of sand columns will not create an improving situation.