Abstract
Abstract Numerical simulation can help understanding water- and heat-flow systems through plastic-mulched soils. An effective simulation approach is crucial to know the role of plastic mulch in a soil ecosystem, which can save water in agriculture. A field experiment was conducted at Gifu University in a rainfed soybean cultivation under plastic mulch and bare soil treatments to clarify the soil water and heat flow mechanism. Furthermore, the two-dimensional numerical software HYDRSUS-2D model with different boundaries at the soil surface was used to simulate water and heat flows. Firstly, soil hydraulic parameters were estimated by inverse solution using laboratory-measured data and then coupled soil-water and heat flows were simulated by optimizing soil thermal parameters by inverse solution. The HYDRUS-2D model simulated water and heat flow through the root zone depths satisfactorily. The root-mean square error (RMSE) was 0.015–0.030, and 0.046–0.055 cm3 cm−3 for the plastic mulch, and bare soil, respectively, in estimating soil moisture and 0.66–1.28, and 0.70–1.54 °C, respectively in estimating soil temperature. Water infiltration was 61% lower in the plastic-mulched soil, which reduced soil evaporation as well as soil-moisture storage changes compared to bare soil. This study can be applied to design and manage different plastic mulching patterns in rain-fed crop cultivation.
Highlights
Global warming and irregular rainfall patterns have been limiting water resources in arid and semi-arid regions, which need effective utilization of water for enhancing crop production (Bradford et al )
This study reveals that the performance of the HYDRUS-2D model strongly depended on rainfall and selection of various surface boundaries in the plastic mulch area; in this study, canopy distribution was not considered in the modeling
Water and heat distribution characteristics in soils were evaluated by HYDRUS-2D simulations under plastic and bare soil treatments
Summary
Global warming and irregular rainfall patterns have been limiting water resources in arid and semi-arid regions, which need effective utilization of water for enhancing crop production (Bradford et al ). Plastic film mulching, considered as water-saving technology, is a well-known farming. China has become the largest user of plastic film mulching (Daryanto et al ), which is mainly popular in the Loess Plateau area where frequent water shortage occurs due to splash rainfall (Wang et al ; He et al ). Plastic mulch improves soil-moisture retention and availability, and exhibits soilwarming effects by regulating radiation and thermal. A. Kader et al | Water and heat flow simulations of plastic-mulched soil
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