Contribution to irrigation from shallow water table under field conditions

The mathematical model SWBACROS was applied to estimate the contribution of a shallow groundwater to the water needs of a maize crop. The model was applied with the top and boundary conditions defined by the observed irrigation/rainfall events and the observed water table depth. The simulated water contents of the top zone were very close to the observed values. Furthermore the model was applied with an assumed free drainage bottom boundary condition. The difference of the computed water content profiles under the presence and absence of the water table gave a very good estimate of the capillary rise. It was found that under the specific field conditions about 3.6 mm/day of the water in the root zone originated from the shallow water table, which amounts to about 18% of the water, which was transpired by the maize crop.