Field topography or microtopography plays an important role in achieving acceptable performance in border irrigation. Extension of conservation tillage across the North China Plain has resulted in change in field bottom configuration. This study defined regular bottom configuration for border irrigation, and introduced three regular bottom configurations： border-strip irrigation （BSI）, border-furrow irrigation （BFI） and rill irrigation （RI）. The effects of regular bottom configuration on the hydraulic process and irrigation performance were evaluated by field experiments and a WinSRFR3.1 model. Results suggest that the WinSRFR3.1 model was capable of the simulation of BFI and RI, and that the hydraulic process and irrigation performance were diverse among BSI, BFI, and RI. BSI had the highest infiltration rate while BFI had the lowest infiltration rate; BSI took the most time to complete the water advance while BFI took the least time. As a result, BSI showed the worst irrigation performance while BFI gave the best irrigation performance. Different field bottom configurations mainly accounted for differences. We conclude that regular field bottom configuration is an important factor for acceptable performance in border irrigation.
