Improving mole drainage channel stability in irrigated areas

Mole drains in flood irrigated agriculture can rapidly fail due to high flows of irrigation water entering the mole channel through the soil cracks formed during the moling process. Currently mole drains are formed using a straight leg mole plough that results in rapid irrigation water flow to the mole drain. The use of an angled leg mole plough to reduce the direct inflow of irrigation water and produce more stable mole channels was investigated. The leg of the angled leg mole plough comprised an upper vertical section to which an angled section carrying the mole foot was attached at a 30° angle. The trials were carried out on two contrasting clay soils in a flood irrigated area. One of the soil types was structurally stable on wetting, the other unstable. The quality of the mole channels formed at installation using the straight leg plough was good, but using the angled leg plough were only moderate due to some instability problems with the equipment. This was caused by the mole foot pitching and thus forming an oval channel.