ASABE Technical Library - Abstract

Abstract. Center pivot and linear move irrigation systems have increasingly become popular in the United States. The potential runoff due to high application rates of these systems is one of the biggest concerns for growers. Off-set booms (also called Boombacks) have been introduced as a solution to reduce the potential runoff in an attempt to improve the efficiency and uniformity of these systems. A field study was conducted in WSU-IAREC in Prosser, WA during the summer of 2014 to compare surface runoff generated by off-set booms and the standard in-line sprinklers. Both were fitted on a single liner-move irrigation system. The experiment was conducted under two soil volumetric moisture contents - 21% and 31%. Runoff was collected by a total of 12 rectangular metal frames (area ≈ 1 m²) installed in the soil underneath sprinklers and letting the linear to pass over the plots. The results of this study showed that, compared to the standard system, Boomback system significantly reduced runoff by up to 26%. The applications of Boomback systems are therefore highly recommended especially when growers deal with bare soils that have low infiltration rates.