A problem involving steady water infiltration into a homogeneous soil with water absorption by plant roots is governed by Richards equation. In this paper, four different types of root-water uptake are considered. To study this equation more conveniently, the governing equation is transformed into a modified Helmholtz equation. The modified Helmholtz equation is then solved numerically using a dual reciprocity boundary element method (DRBEM) with a predictor-corrector scheme. Using the numerical solutions, water absorption by plant roots can be obtained.

water infiltration, root-water uptake, DRBEM, predictor-corrector.