Field Experimental Assessment of HYDRUS-3D Soil Moisture Simulations Under Drip Irrigation Using Horizontal Mobile Dielectric Sensor

HYDRUS-3D is a widely used software for modeling variably saturated water flow, but its performance under field conditions requires validation, particularly given the challenges of soil moisture detection. This study aimed to validate the accuracy of HYDRUS-3D in simulating soil water infiltration under drip irrigation using advanced horizontal mobile sensor systems (HMSSs). We designed a three-dimensional soil water infiltration experiment for drip-irrigated fields, employing two HMSSs which were orthogonally placed at 0.2 m and 0.4 m depths from the horizontal plane, and formed a trapezoidal configuration (height: 0.2 m, top edge width: 1 m) on the soil surface. These measurements provided three-dimensional data in the central area and two-dimensional data in the sloped sections. HYDRUS-3D simulations were compared to HMSS measurements, showing strong agreement in both the central area and sloped sections, with high R² values and low RMSE, indicating excellent model accuracy. These results confirm HYDRUS-3D’s reliability in simulating soil water movement under real-world conditions. In particular, the model effectively captured the horizontal fusion process of adjacent drip emitters, which advances its validation for field-scale applications and supports its use in precision agricultural water management.