Friction head loss equations and friction correction factors were evaluated and compared to field observations collected from thirty center pivots with laterals made of PVCs. The friction head loss equations include Darcy-Weisbach (D-W), Hazen-Williams (H-W), and Scobey, in addition to a proposed equation valid for smooth and rough pipe types and for all turbulent flow types. The proposed equation was developed by combining the equations of D-W and H-W, along with the multiple nonlinear regression technique. The friction correction factors were computed by using the typical Christiansen, modified Christiansen, Anwar, and Alazba formulae. The evaluation has been based on statistical error techniques with observed values as a reference. With the combination of modified Christiansen, Anwar, and Alazba formulae, the results revealed that the magnitudes of friction head loss calculated by using the D-W, H-W, and proposed equations were in agreement with field observations. The root mean square deviation (RMSD) values ranged from 1.6 to 1.7 m. As expected, and when the typical Christiansen friction correction factor was used with the D-W, H-W, and proposed equations, the results showed poor agreement between observed and computed friction head loss values. This was clearly reflected by the high RMSD values that ranged from 5.4 to 5.9 m. On the other hand, agreement occurred between observed friction head loss values and those calculated by using the Scobey equation, invalid for PVC pipe type, when combined with the typical Christiansen formula. This interesting finding led to improved results of the Scobey equation through a developed $C_s$ coefficient suitably valid for PVC pipe type through analytically mathematical derivation; accordingly, the RMSD value dropped from approximately 8.6 to 1.6 m.

The effects of three water management techniques were evaluated on subsurface drip irrigated tomatoes. The three techniques were the intermittent flow (3 pulses), the dual-lateral drip system (two lateral lines per row, at 15 and 25cm below soil surface), and the physical barrier (buried at 30 cm below soil surface). Field experiments were established for two successive seasons. Water movement in soil was monitored using continuously logging capacitance probes up to 60 cm depth. The results showed that the dual lateral technique positively increased the yield up to 50%, water use efficiency up to 54%, while the intermittent application improved some of the quality measures (fruit size, TSS, and Vitamin C), not the quantity of the yield that decreased in one season, and not affected in the other. The physical barrier has no significant effect on any of the important growth measures. The soil water patterns showed that the dual lateral method lead to uniform wetting pattern with depth up to 45 cm, the physical barrier appeared to increase lateral and upward water movement, while the intermittent application kept the wetting pattern at higher moisture level for longer time. The cost analysis showed also that the economic treatments were the dual lateral followed by the intermittent technique, while the physical barrier is not economical. The study recommends researching the effect of the dual lateral method on the root growth and performance. The intermittent application may be recommended to improve tomato quality but not quantity. The physical barrier is not recommended unless in high permeable soils.

Wetting pattern enhancement is one of the goals of irrigation designers and researchers. In this study, we addressed three techniques (dual-lateral drip, intermittent flow and physical barrier methods) that change the wetting pattern of subsurface drip irrigation. To study their effect on the yield and water-use efficiency (WUE) of potatoes, field experiments were conducted for four seasons, during which the soil-water balance was continuously monitored using a set of capacitance probes. The results of the soil water patterns showed that both the dual-lateral and intermittent techniques increased lateral water movement and eliminated deep percolation, whereas the physical barrier had a limited effect on the top soil layer. The crop results indicated that the yield and WUE increased significantly in response to the application of the dual-lateral drip (up to 30%); the intermittent application also positively affected the yield (~10%) and the WUE (~14%), but these effects were not statistically significant according to the statistical model. The physical barrier showed a non-significant negative effect on the yield and WUE. These findings suggest the following recommended practices: the use of dual-lateral drip technique due to its beneficial results and its potential for increasing yields and reducing water consumption; the application of intermittent flow with more than three surges; and restricting the use of physical barriers to soils with high permeability.