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1st Int. Transborder Conf. of the Timor Island: Timor %u2013 Science without borderDili, 7-8 May 2025176Optimizing Furrow Irrigation Efficiency on Pima Clay Soil Using DRBEM: A Case Study in East Nusa Tenggara, IndonesiaM Lobo1*, M. S. M. Nur 2, R. D. Guntur1, Ariyanto1and B. J. Septory11 Department of Mathematics, Nusa Cendana University, Kupang, Indonesia2 Department of Agrotechnology, Nusa Cendana University, Kupang, Indonesia*Corresponding author: maria_lobo@staf.undana.ac.idAbstractThis study investigates the optimization of furrow irrigation efficiency on Pima clay soil in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, using the Dual Reciprocity Boundary Element Method (DRBEM). The method is applied to simulate and analyze water content distribution within the soil domain, where the primary variable %u03a6 denotes volumetric water content in cubic meters per cubic meter (m%u00b3/m%u00b3). Given the high water-holding capacity and low permeability of Pima clay, understanding spatial moisture patterns is critical for improving irrigation performance. The DRBEM model incorporates both boundary and interior collocation points to numerically solve the governing partial differential equations. Simulation results reveal significant moisture concentration near the furrow boundary, with peak values reaching up to %u03a6=0.6951%u2009m3/m3, indicating intense initial infiltration. In the interior domain, water content stabilizes at levels ranging from %u03a6=1.005 to %u03a6=1.180%u2009m3/m3, reflecting efficient water redistribution and retention deeper in the soil profile. However, extreme anomalies%u2014such as %u03a6=16.280%u2009m3/m3and %u03a6=%u221261.3096%u2009m3/m3highlight potential numerical instabilities or inconsistencies in boundary conditions. These suggest a need for mesh refinement and calibration of input parameters. Despite these outliers, the DRBEM simulation effectively captures the critical dynamics of water movement in furrow irrigation, offering a powerful tool for evaluating and enhancing irrigation layouts and scheduling. The insights gained are especially valuable for sustainable water management in waterscarce agricultural regions like East Nusa Tenggara.Keywords: Furrow irrigation, Water use efficiency, DRBEM, Pima Clay soil, Numerical modeling, Irrigation scheduling, Semi-arid agriculture.

