ANALYSIS OF SURFACE IRRIGATION PERFORMANCE TERMS AND INDEXES

Performance terms measure how close an irrigation event is to an ideal one. An ideal or a reference irrigation is one that can apply the rig ht amount of water over the entire region of interest (subject region) without loss. The key phrase, used in the description of a reference irrigation, has been used as the criterion for identifying the perform ance terms that constitute a complete set, corresponding to any given irrigation regime. Indices have been defined to quantify the performan ce terms. The interrelationship between performance indices as well as the relationship between each index and the system variables have bee n explored. The repercussions of those observations on system design a nd management have been discussed. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.