Studies of mole drainage in Bangkok clay soils | |
| Author | Jha, Madan Kumar |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no. AE-92-51 |
| Subject(s) | Irrigation farming--Thailand--Bangkok Drainage--Thailand--Bangkok |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. AE-92-51 |
| Abstract | Draining heavy clay soils poses special problems. The drainage solution must include some form of soil treatment to create macropores in the general profile. Mole drainage is one of the various techniques which offers a satisfactory solution. The Bangkok Plain is dominant with acid sulphate heavy clay soils. Hence a field experiment in conjunction with a soybean crop was carried out in the upland field of Bangkok clay soils to investigate the effects of mole drainage on soil properties and plant growth. Total eight mole drains were installed at 55 cm depth, 2 m spacing and 1% slope by means of a mole plow having 8.5 cm torpedo diameter. Various soil physical properties, viz., infiltration rate, bulk density, porosity, hydraulic conductivity, air permeability and soil suction together with the moisture content, were determined. Some chemical properties of the soil such as pH and EC were also checked with time. In addition, pH and EC of the drain-effluent were also determined. It was found that there were significant improvements in the soil properties - both physical and chemical ones due to mole drainage. Lime application was found to be very much effective under the influence of mole drains. Drain-effluent quality revealed that drains were quite effective for leaching salts. As a result the long term effects of the mole drainage system can be realized in terms of acidity as well as toxicity attenuation. The behavior of mole drains was found to be highly influenced by the surface cracks developed by drying due to swelling and shrinking nature of the soil. However, under normal condition the total drain-discharge (water loss) after an irrigation ranged from 1-2% of the total water applied. Obviously this implies that the adoption of mole drainage system will not increase the water requirement of the command area. At the same time, improved soil structure due to moling may help enhance the water holding capacity of the soil as a whole. Finally, the response of soybean to the mole drainage was found to be promising. There was about 46% increase in its grain yield and about 118% increase in its dry matter accumulation. In epilogue, mole drainage system proved to be highly effective in ameliorating the acid sulphate soils of the Bangkok Plain. |
| Year | 1992 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. AE-92-51 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (Former title: Department of Food Agriculture, and BioResources (DFAB)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Agricultural and Food Engineering (AE) |
| Chairperson(s) | Koga, Kiyoshi |
| Examination Committee(s) | Murty, V. V. N.;Nielsen, J. M. |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Government of Japan |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology |