Historically, drainage systems have been considered as tools for removing excess water. In the past two decades, however, a more comprehensive and inclusive approach has been developed that considers drainage as only one of the central elements of an integrated and comprehensive water management scheme. Since its invention, the science and technology of agricultural drainage have undergone development in the formulation of des...

Abadan date palm plantations have long been irrigated by rivers under the tidal effects of the Persian Gulf. During high tides, river water makes subirrigation possible while during low tides the same ditches drain out the plant root zone. Recently parts of the plantation have been under traditional drainage and surprisingly failed to work efficiently. In order to find the cause, the hydraulic conductivity of the soil layers w...

Sustainable agriculture can contribute to food security in arid and semi‐arid regions if soil salinity in the root zone is kept under control. Recently, experts have been concentrating their research towrds alternative and environmentally friendly solutions. In this study, dry drainage was evaluated as a sustainable and cost‐effective alternative technique, by means of both field experiments and a numeric approach based on the...

Khuzestan, a south‐western province of Iran with a hot climate, long growing season and lots of water, is the main region of subsurface drainage. Sugar cane is the major artificially drained crop. In the past, drainage rates had been chosen based on highest water‐consuming crop in the cropping pattern. This approach neglects crops with less water demands, natural drainage and direct flow towards perforated collectors or open d...

This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of subsurface drainage and a rice husk envelope in Behshahr, a coastal region in the northern part of Iran. The subsurface drainage system was monitored in the rainfall seasons of 2006 and 2007 (22 November to 19 March). Various parameters such as daily groundwater table fluctuations and drain discharge rate were measured. To evaluate the drainage envelope, the gradation cur...