Evaluation of SWAP and LEACHC Models in Field Leaching of Soil Solutes in Chah-Afzal Region, Yazd Province

Since performing field experiments for determining the optimum amount of water for soil desalinization is costly and time consuming, use of computer models in leaching studies has received more attention. However, the accuracy of the results of these models should be evaluated by comparison with the results of the field experiments. In this study SWAP and LEACHC models were used for the simulation of soil moisture profile and salinity, and the results were compared with those of a field leaching experiment. The SWAP model gave better results in simulating soil moisture movement and profile, compared to LEACHC model, but statistical indexes showed that both models produced satisfactory results in predicting soil moisture profile. LEACHC model gave better results in comparison to SWAP model for the prediction of soil salinity profile at different time, possibly because it takes into account different solute transport mechanisms such as advection, diffusion, dispersion and also chemical interactions such as adsorption, precipitation and dissolution. In spite of the differences between predicted and measured values of salinity in the initial stages of leaching process, both models were able to predict the trend of leaching process with an acceptable accuracy.