HYSTERESIS EFFECTS IN SOIL MOISTURE MOVEMENT

Abstract

Hysteresis was assessed by measuring the tension and moisture content of sections of soil at different time intervals during the redistribution of moisture in uniformly packed columns of Grenville silt loam. Moisture tension was measured by a null method and moisture content was measured gravimetrically.The rate of change of tension with moisture content dψ/dθ and hence the diffusivity, in the tension range 25 to 400 centimeters of water was more than twice as great for drying as for wetting. During redistribution of moisture, when both drying and wetting were involved, different ψ, vs. θ relationships existed at different depths, and the slopes dψ/dθ and diffusivities in the profile were often lower than those for either drying or wetting alone.Further work is needed to assess the importance of hysteresis on moisture movement in practical problems. It seems possible that data on hysteresis, and a knowledge of the past history of wetting and drying, may provide estimates of moisture loss and conservation in fallowed fields.