OptiSurface Newsletter – 2016 August

OptiSurface Designs – African pivot with circular furrows.

BMS goes to Thailand with OptiSurface.

This pivot field grows sugarcane along circular furrows.

Designing with circular furrows is unique to OptiSurface.  The OptiSurface 2Way Circle  Surface Type was used and the field was quartered giving way for the roads and taildrains.

Overview:  OptiSurface Circle is a Surface Type designed for pivot irrigated fields where furrows are circular instead of straight.  There are two types – OptiSurface 1Way Circle and OptiSurface 2Way Circle.  As the name suggests, OptiSurface 1Way Circle acts like OptiSurface 1Way but have circular furrows.  Water can drain in one direction along the furrow direction (either clockwise or anti-clockwise).  On the other hand, OptiSurface 2Way Circle can drain in two opposite directions along the circular furrows.  Ridges define the high point while valleys define the cross drains or taildrains.

Displayed by:
Menu: Tools > Landform Design > Surface Type > OptiSurface 1Way Circle or OptiSurface 2Way Cirle

Appearance:

Example

This example originally planted sugarcane along straight furrows in the N-S direction.  The client is moving towards circular furrows to minimize the negative effects of center pivot wheel tracks messing up the beds and causing ponding where it crosses the beds and creates mini dams.  They are happy to change the orientation of the roads quartering the field to minimize the earthworks.

As shown in the Background Image, the current layout of the roads quartering the field is not ideal because the lowest area where water will naturally drain is at the NE area near the MB.  As we are planning for circular furrows, we can define the lowest area as the valley zone for the tail drain.

Select OptiSurface Circle 2Way as water can come from both sides of the defined taildrain.  Click Pick then click Pick again to define the tail drain direction.

• Main Slope Direction – direction of the fall of the circular furrows which is important for OptiSurface 1Way Circle (no need for OptiSurface 2Way Circle)
• Center Point and Headland – insert the Center Point and Headland Direction or use the Pick Tool.  First click is the center and the second click to show the direction of the taildrain.  See image below where the clicks are done for this field.

Proposed Topography

The NW and SE cross drains are added the valley subzones.  These valley zones are added where the proposed road lies, this results in each quarter having its own tail drain.  Q1 drains to NE road, Q2 drains to SE and SW road, Q3 drains to NW road and Q4 drains to NE road.

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