Abstract
Soil moisture flow under a drip irrigation on the sugarcane field is simulated by a finite element method and the outline of the method is described. The calculated results of moisture distribution compare favorably with the observed results. Soil moisture movements are simulated under the dry condition and wet condition of initial soil moisture. In the case of dry condition, irrigated water does not transfer to the main root zone below the crop. It is anticipated that the role of water uptake by the root distributed below the drip line is important. In the case of wet condition, irrigated water transfers to the main root zone but deep percolation loss is large. The locational relation of main root zone and dripline are important factor in determining the interval of dripline. Arbitrary distribution pattern of root is considered in the finite element method, therefore the method is useful tool in designing of drip irrigation.
