Abstract
The objective of this study was to clarify the effect of crop root on soil water retentivity and movement to improve the crop growth environment and irrigation efficiency. To simulate soil water movement considering the crop root effect on the physical properties of soil, a numerical model describing the soil water and heat transfers was introduced. Cultivation experiments were conducted to clarify the effect of the crop root on soil water retentivity and verify the accuracy of the numerical model. The relationship between soil water retentivity and the root content of soil samples was clarified by soil water retention curves. The soil water content displayed a high value with increasing crop root content in the high volumetric water content zone. The experimental results indicated that the saturated water content increased with the crop root content because of the porosity formed by the crop root. The differences of the soil water retentivity became smaller when the value of the matric potential was over pF 1.5. To verify the accuracy of the numerical model, an observation using acrylic slit pot was also conduced. The temporal and spatial changes of the volumetric water content and soil temperature were measured. Soil water and heat transfers, which considered the effect of the crop root on the soil water retentivity clarified by the soil water retention curves, were simulated. Simulated volumetric water content and temperature of soil agreed with observed data. This indicated that the numerical model used to simulate the soil water and heat transfer considering the crop root effect on soil water retentivity was satisfactory. Using this model, spatial and temporal changes of soil water content were simulated. The soil water condition of the root zone was relatively high compared with the initial conditions. This indicated that the volumetric water condition of the root zone increased with the soil water extraction and high soil water conditions was maintained because the soil water retentivity of root zone increased with the root effect.
Highlights
Irrigation scheduling is one of the most important factors for healthy breeding of crops
This result indicates that the volumetric water condition of root zone increased with the soil water extraction, and high soil water condition was maintained because the soil water retentivity of root zone increased with the root content
The relationship between soil water retentivity and root content was clarified by soil water retention curves
Summary
Irrigation scheduling is one of the most important factors for healthy breeding of crops. To quantify the water consumption in crop fields, the crop root effects on soil physical properties should be clarified. Studies have been conducted to clarify soil water movement and quantify water consumption in the crop fields [14,15]. Studies, as a method to evaluate soil water movement considering the effect of the crop root on the soil physic properties has not been established. The objective of this study is to clarify the effects of the crop root on soil water retentivity and soil water movement. A numerical model was introduced to simulate the soil water and heat transfer considering the crop root effect on soil water retentivity. Cultivation experiments were conducted to clarify the relationship between soil water retentivity and crop root content and to verify the accuracy of the numerical model
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