Heterogeneous Soil Water Research Articles

Response of Riesling Grapes and Wine to Temporally and Spatially Heterogeneous Soil Water Availability

Response of Riesling Grapes and Wine to Temporally and Spatially Heterogeneous Soil Water Availability

Evaluation of the ecohydrological separation of different geomorphological units in a semi-arid area

The ecohydrological separation (ES) phenomenon which states that there are two incompletely mixing subsurface water pools, one of which is supplied to plants for transpiration while the other flows to groundwater and river water, has far-reaching implications for hydrological model simulation and water resources management. Specifically, it is unclear whether it occurs under different geomorphological units (hillside, foothill, and floodplain) within the same climate zone, as well as the reasons for such variations. We collected samples of precipitation, groundwater, river water, soil water, and plant stem water from April to October 2019 and analyzed their stable isotopic composition. Moreover, in order to further confirm whether the ES phenomenon exists in both hillside, foothill, and floodplain, we also calculated the line-conditioned excess and the isotope values of source water. The isotope values of plant stem water were similar to that of soil water rather than groundwater on the hillside. Groundwater on the foothill in April, June, July, and August had considerably different isotope values from plant stem water. The isotopic composition of plant stem water was comparable to that of groundwater in the floodplain, but there were differences in the isotope values of source water and line-conditioned excess. On the hillside, foothill, and floodplain, this study found evidence of the ES phenomenon. As a result of preferential flows through soils that cause soil-water heterogeneity, the ES phenomenon under various geomorphic units differs from one another. This research disproved theories about translational flow across the rooting zone and offered a new perspective on the ES phenomenon.

Environmental heterogeneity promotes coexistence among plant life-history strategies through stabilizing mechanisms in space and time

Spatiotemporal environmental heterogeneity can promote species coexistence through stabilizing mechanisms such as the storage effect. These mechanisms require low density advantages and species-specific responses to heterogeneity. Theory based on organisms, which are short-lived and capitalize beneficial patches instantaneously, suggests that in the presence of spatiotemporal heterogeneity, stabilizing mechanisms should arise more commonly in space than in time.We used an individual-based model to investigate if spatiotemporal soil water heterogeneity promotes stable coexistence among annual and perennial plant life-history strategies, and which functional traits explain the requirements. Scenarios explicitly differed in the resource benefits offered by the range of soil water used to simulate heterogeneity.Our results show that spatiotemporal heterogeneity promoted stable coexistence solely among perennial life-history strategies. Perennial life form delayed population responses to heterogeneity, which resulted in population decoupling among life-history strategies in time as well as in space. Recovery from low density could be explained by a combination of one classical trait which stores the effects of favorable environmental conditions (longevity) and, unexpectedly, a fast resource acquisition strategy evidenced by high adult growth rate and short-term dormancy. Life-history strategy-specific responses emerged from functional differences in seedling competitive ability and seed dispersal distance alone or, additionally, from differences in the hydrological niche. Interestingly, life-history strategies which functionally differed only in dispersal distance coexisted irrespective of whether they experienced a difference in resource benefits themselves or coexisted with life-history strategies experiencing this difference.We show that spatiotemporal heterogeneity in a single abiotic factor promoted stable coexistence through stabilizing mechanisms. Our study highlights the need to study stabilizing mechanisms across different life-history strategies to better understand the effectiveness and dimensions of spatiotemporal heterogeneity in promoting coexistence.

Hydraulic flux-responsive hormone redistribution determines root branching.

Plant roots exhibit plasticity in their branching patterns to forage efficiently for heterogeneously distributed resources, such as soil water. The xerobranching response represses lateral root formation when roots lose contact with water. Here, we show that xerobranching is regulated by radial movement of the phloem-derived hormone abscisic acid, which disrupts intercellular communication between inner and outer cell layers through plasmodesmata. Closure of these intercellular pores disrupts the inward movement of the hormone signal auxin, blocking lateral root branching. Once root tips regain contact with moisture, the abscisic acid response rapidly attenuates. Our study reveals how roots adapt their branching pattern to heterogeneous soil water conditions by linking changes in hydraulic flux with dynamic hormone redistribution.

Growth and Morphological Responses of Kentucky Bluegrass to Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Soil Water Availabilities

Understanding the effect of water heterogeneity on the growth and water integration of clonal plants is important for scientific water management. In controlled field plots, we conducted a study by creating three different soil water treatments comprising four patches with different soil water supplies using Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) as the materials. The objective was to explore the differences in the growth indices and morphological attributes, and the possible water integration in ‘Arcadia’ Kentucky bluegrass in plots and patches with different soil water availabilities. Soil water deficit resulted in the declined biomass, root/shoot ratio and leaf relative water content of the whole genet, decreased leaf length and height of mother ramet, reduced leaf width and height of daughter ramets, and significant changes in the structures of vascular bundles in rhizomes and leaves. However, the leaf length, leaf width, height and leaf relative water content of daughter ramets in heterogeneous water-poor patches were recovered to the levels in water-rich patches. In addition, the diameter of the vessel in the xylem and percentage of the xylem area in leaf vascular bundles of daughter ramets in the heterogeneous water-poor patch were insignificantly different from those in water-rich patches. These results demonstrated that water integration among interconnected ramets promoted the growth status of daughter ramets in heterogeneous water-poor patches. However, the water translocation in interconnected ramets subjecting to heterogeneous water supplies was not investigated using stable isotope labelling in this study. Thus, the directions and patterns of water translocation among ramets necessitate further research.

Root water uptake under heterogeneous soil moisture conditions: an experimental study for unraveling compensatory root water uptake and hydraulic redistribution

Plant roots often encounter heterogeneity in soil water content and respond by compensating water uptake from wet zones to cope with the transpiration demand. Simultaneously, plants may also exhibit root-mediated hydraulic redistribution from wet to dry zones. Experiments were conducted to simultaneously monitor compensated root water uptake and hydraulic redistribution in the vadose zone. Vertical and horizontal split-root lysimeters were used to hydraulically isolate maize roots under altering soil water conditions. Compensated root water uptake and root-mediated hydraulic redistribution were monitored by continuous measurement of water content in the lysimeter compartments. Soil water heterogeneity and limited soil water availability were found to accelerate the root water uptake from moist region to compensate the reduced water availability in dry zone. However, no measurable root mediated hydraulic redistribution was observed in short term basis, despite high water potential gradient in the root zone of both lysimeters. The night-time transpiration and xylem refilling processes seem to override the hydraulic redistribution on a diurnal basis in our experiment. Our study shows that compensated root water uptakeplays a major role in meeting the transpiration demand. In contrast, the role of root mediated hydraulic redistribution is found to benegligible in maize plant.

Causes and consequences of pronounced variation in the isotope composition of plant xylem water

Abstract. Stable isotopologues of water are widely used to derive relative root water uptake (RWU) profiles and average RWU depth in lignified plants. Uniform isotope composition of plant xylem water (δxyl) along the stem length of woody plants is a central assumption of the isotope tracing approach which has never been properly evaluated. Here we evaluate whether strong variation in δxyl within woody plants exists using empirical field observations from French Guiana, northwestern China, and Germany. In addition, supported by a mechanistic plant hydraulic model, we test hypotheses on how variation in δxyl can develop through the effects of diurnal variation in RWU, sap flux density, diffusion, and various other soil and plant parameters on the δxyl of woody plants. The hydrogen and oxygen isotope composition of plant xylem water shows strong temporal (i.e., sub-daily) and spatial (i.e., along the stem) variation ranging up to 25.2 ‰ and 6.8 ‰ for δ2H and δ18O, respectively, greatly exceeding the measurement error range in all evaluated datasets. Model explorations predict that significant δxyl variation could arise from diurnal RWU fluctuations and vertical soil water heterogeneity. Moreover, significant differences in δxyl emerge between individuals that differ only in sap flux densities or are monitored at different times or heights. This work shows a complex pattern of δxyl transport in the soil–root–xylem system which can be related to the dynamics of RWU by plants. These dynamics complicate the assessment of RWU when using stable water isotopologues but also open new opportunities to study drought responses to environmental drivers. We propose including the monitoring of sap flow and soil matric potential for more robust estimates of average RWU depth and expansion of attainable insights in plant drought strategies and responses.

Modelling the salt accumulation and leaching processes in arid agricultural areas with a new mass balance model

Soil salinization has become a widespread problem that seriously affects the sustainable development of agriculture. To deal with the salt accumulation and leaching problems in practical agricultural systems, a new soil water and solute transport model adopting the mass balance scheme is developed in this study. The soil water movement module is based on a previously published soil water mass balance model, named as UBMOD. The mobile-immobile assumption has been adopted to develop the soil solute transport module, which can describe the obvious anomalous transport phenomenon in practice. The advection, chemical reactions of solute, solute transfer between the mobile and immobile regions, and dispersion in the mobile region are considered in the solute transport module, while only chemical reactions and solute transfer between the mobile and immobile regions are considered in the immobile region. Three cases were designed to evaluate the performance of the model by comparing the simulation results with those obtained by experimental results, HYDRUS-1D, and practical observations. The results demonstrate that the developed model can solve the homogeneous and heterogeneous soil water movement and solute transport effectively, and it has looser restrictions on the discretization of space and time than the numerical solution of Richards’ equation and can keep the mass balance well, which make it more suitable for practical conditions. Moreover, the real-world application of salt accumulation and leaching problems in Hetao Irrigation District, Inner Mongolia, China shows that the RMSE of the simulated soil salt content with the immobile present region is about 20% better than that when ignoring the immobile present region. Therefore, it is necessary to take the significant anomalous transport into account when studying the salt accumulation and leaching processes in practical agricultural systems.

Factors determining soil water heterogeneity on the Chinese Loess Plateau as based on an empirical mode decomposition method

Soil water is a critical resource, and as such is the focus of considerable physical research. Characterization of the distribution and spatial variability of soil water content (SWC) offers important agronomic and environmental information. Estimation of non-stationary and non-linear SWC distribution at different scales is a research challenge. Based on this context, we performed a case study on the Chinese Loess Plateau, with objectives of investigating spatial variability of SWC and soil properties (i.e., soil particle composition, organic matter and bulk density), and determining multi-scale correlations between SWC and soil properties. A total of 86 in situ sampling sites were selected and 516 soil samples (0-60 cm depth with an interval of 10 cm) were collected in May and June of 2019 along the Yangling-Wugong-Qianxian transect, with a length of 25.5 km, in a typical wheat-corn rotation region of the Chinese Loess Plateau. Classical statistics and empirical mode decomposition (EMD) method were applied to evaluate characteristics of the overall and scale-specific spatial variation of SWC, and to explore scale-specific correlations between SWC and soil properties. Results showed that the spatial variability of SWC along the Yangling-Wugong-Qianxian transect was medium to weak, with a variability coefficient range of 0.06-0.18, and it was gradually decreased as scale increased. We categorized the overall SWC for each soil layer under an intrinsic mode function (IMF) number based on the scale of occurrence, and found that the component IMF1 exhibited the largest contribution rates of 36.45%-56.70%. Additionally, by using EMD method, we categorized the general variation of SWC under different numbers of IMFs according to occurrence scale, and the results showed that the calculated scales among SWC for each soil layer increased in correspondence with higher IMF numbers. Approximately 78.00% of the total variance of SWC was extracted in IMF1 and IMF2. Generally, soil texture was the dominant control on SWC, and the influence of the three types of soil properties (soil particle composition, organic matter and bulk density) was more prominent at larger scales along the sampling transect. The influential factors of soil water spatial distribution can be identified and ranked on the basis of the decomposed signal from the current approach, thereby providing critical information for other researchers and natural resource managers.

Quantification of Leaf Growth, Height Increase, and Compensatory Root Water Uptake of Sunflower in Heterogeneous Saline Soils

Core Ideas Compensatory growth and root water uptake are observed in heterogeneous saline soils. Three types of indexes are proposed to determine the heterogeneous water and salt stresses. Critical compensation factors for each growth stages of sunflower are determined and linked with heterogeneous soil water and salt. ABSTRACTTo characterize the crop growth and root water uptake (RWU) under heterogeneous soil water and salt (SWS) conditions, 2‐yr subplot experiments with sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) were conducted at the Yichang experimental station in the Hetao Irrigation District (HID), China. Three types of stress indices, including average (αmean, ω), positional (αupper, αdeeper), and extreme (αsmax, αsmin) indices, were defined to quantify the heterogeneity of the SWS stresses at each growth stage of sunflower. The relative increase in the leaf area index (REDLAI) and height (REDH) of sunflower were quantified based on correlation analyses with SWS heterogeneity indices. The critical compensation factor (ωc) of RWU at different sunflower growth stages was inversely calculated based on the Feddes Jarvis (FJ) model and quantified using a defined soil environmental stress factor (δ). The results showed that the vertical heterogeneity of SWS gradually improved and that soil stress indices varied with sunflower growth. The relatively high correlations of REDLAI and REDH with the ω (average stress coefficient weighted by the root length density) were determined, and quantitative relationships of the REDLAI and REDH with the ω at different growth stages were established. Furthermore, relatively high coefficient of determination (R2) values of quantitative relationships between ωc and δ were acquired (0.75, 0.78, 0.64, and 0.46 at the seedling, budding, flowering, and maturity stages, respectively). The proposed methods could improve the prediction of crop leaf growth, height development, and compensatory root water uptake (CRWU) based on SWS information in salt‐affected regions.

Measurements and simulation of leaf xylem water potential and root water uptake in heterogeneous soil water contents

The relationship between leaf water potential, transpiration rate and soil water potential is complex, particularly when the soil water potential in the root zone is not uniform, which is the rule rather than the exception in soils. Our objectives were: 1) to measure the effect of heterogeneous soil water potentials on the relation between leaf water potential and transpiration rate and 2) to test whether root water uptake models could predict this relation. To this end, we combined the root pressure chamber technique, which allows measuring the suction in the leaves of transpiring plants, with two models of root water uptake, a simple one where soil and roots are presented as resistances in series and a more detailed 3D root architecture model. The experiments were carried out with lupines grown in sandy soil, for which the root architecture and root hydraulic properties had been previously estimated. The soil was partitioned in two layers separated by a coarse sand layer that allowed the roots to grow through but limited the water redistribution between the layers. Three scenarios (wet-wet, dry-wet, dry-dry) were tested. The results showed that the relation between transpiration and leaf water potential was linear in all scenarios. As the upper soil layer severely dried, the conductance of the soil-plant system decreased by ca. 1.65 times compared to the conductance of the plant-soil system in a uniform wet soil. As both layers dried, the conductivity was 8.26 times lower compared to the uniform-wet case. The combination of the experiment and modelling showed that a simple model is capable to reproduce the relation between transpiration, leaf water potential and soil water potential (despite an offset in the leaf water potential). Both simplified and the 3D root architecture models were capable of reproducing the measured changes in hydraulic conductance of the plant-soil system due to the soil drying. However, both models overestimated the measured leaf water potential by 0.1 MPa, probably because of a gradient in osmotic potential between the xylem and the soil. The simulations predicted the occurrence of hydraulic lift, even at day time conditions, although the hydraulic lift was relatively more important at low transpiration rates. The simulation suggested that a root architecture model is needed to estimate the variations of water uptake along the individual roots and this might be crucial to properly model hydraulic lift.

Application of Electrical Capacitance Method for Prediction of Plant Root Mass and Activity in Field-Grown Crops.

The root electrical capacitance (CR) method is suitable for assessing root growth and activity, but soil water content (SWC) strongly influences the measurement results. This study aimed to adapt the method for field monitoring by evaluating the effect of SWC on root capacitance to ensure the comparability of CR detected at different SWC. First a pot experiment was conducted with maize and soybean to establish CR–SWC functions for the field soil. Ontogenetic changes in root activity were monitored under field conditions by simultaneously measuring CR and SWC around the roots. The CR values were normalized using SWC data and experimental CR–SWC functions to obtain CR*, the comparable indicator of root activity. The effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation on the CR* and biomass of field-grown soybean was investigated. The pot trial showed an exponential increase in CR with SWC. CR–SWC functions proved to be species-specific. CR showed strong correlation with root dry mass (R2 = 0.83–0.87). The root activity (CR*) of field-grown crops increased until flowering, then decreased during maturity. This was consistent with data obtained with other methods. AMF inoculation of soybean resulted in significantly higher CR* during the late vegetative and early flowering stages, when destructive sampling concurrently showed higher shoot biomass. The results demonstrated that the root capacitance method could be useful for time course studies on root activity under field conditions, and for comparing single-time capacitance data collected in areas with heterogeneous soil water status.

Nitrogen addition and clonal integration alleviate water stress of dependent ramets of Indocalamus decorus under heterogeneous soil water environment

Water and nitrogen are two of the most important factors for plant growth and development. However, little is known about effects of N on water translocation between connected bamboo ramets. We performed experiment connected Indocalamus decorus ramets in adjacent pots with different soil water contents and three N levels. We determined antioxidase activities, concentration of osmotic adjustment products, O2·−, MDA and photosynthetic pigments, and electrolyte leakage rate in paired unit. When N supply to supporting ramets increased, their electrolyte leakage rates and contents of O2·− and MDA significantly increased, while antioxidase activities and contents of osmotic adjustment products and photosynthetic pigments in connected dependent ramets increased markedly as their electrolyte leakage rates and contents of O2·− and MDA decreased greatly. When N addition to dependent ramets increased, antioxidant enzyme activity and contents of osmotic adjustment products and photosynthetic pigments decreased in both ramets, but electrolyte leakage rates and O2·− and MDA contents increased significantly. Therefore, N addition to either supporting or dependent ramets can improve water integration among I. decorus ramets. N addition to supporting ramets promotes water translocation and alleviates water stress of dependent ramets, but N addition to dependent ramets exacerbates drought stress damage to dependent ramets.

Spatial and Temporal Variability of Soil Water Content in Two Regions of Southwest Germany during a Three‐Year Observation Period

Core Ideas A set of all possible states of spatial soil water content variability in relation to the mean spatial soil water content is a contingent phase space. The left and the right outermost points of the phase space and its lower bound are determined by the variability of soil physical properties. Generation or dissipation of soil water content variability depends on its momentary location in relation to these points and the phase space bounds. Soil water content temporal dynamics can be divided onto sequential wetting‐drying periods. At the event‐scale spatial soil water content variability moves along the hysteretic loop, triggered by rainstorms with spatially highly variable intensities. The topsoil water content (SWC) plays a key role in partitioning energy and water fluxes at the land surface. Knowledge about its spatial and temporal variability is crucial for improving climate and hydrology modeling. We investigated SWC variability, its relation to the mean spatial soil water content (〈θ〉), and the variability of rainfall on the regional spatial and event temporal scales. We used a 3‐yr data set, obtained at 15‐min resolution from two soil moisture sensor networks (spatial extent: 25 by 25 km), set up at croplands in the Kraichgau and Swabian Alb regions in southwest Germany. The relationship of SWC standard deviation (σθ) versus 〈θ〉 was studied (σθ–〈θ〉). The closer σθ is located to the edge of the envelope, the σθ at the permanent wilting point (σθ–〈θwp〉), and the σθ at saturation (σθ–〈θs〉)—the anchor points—the easier it is to apprehend whether σθ will increase or decrease on a change in 〈θ〉. The σθ–〈θ〉 relationship forms combinations of concave and convex hyperbolas reflecting the variability of soil texture and depending on σθ in relation to the anchor points. Most σθ–〈θ〉 clockwise hysteresis cases occurred in an intermediate and intermediate‐wet state of SWC. The initiation of a clockwise hysteretic loop is initiated by preferential flow. The σθ phase space can be used to test whether hydrological or land surface models capture a realistic range of soil water heterogeneity.

Cluster root allocation of white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) in soil with heterogeneous phosphorus and water distribution

Cluster roots are structures formed by many plants adapted to phosphorus (P)-deficient soils. We investigated the combined influence of spatial heterogeneity in soil water and P distribution on the allocation of cluster root formation in white lupin (Lupinus albus L.). In this study, single plants were grown at a low or a high rate of water supply in containers filled with a P-poor sand to which either no P was added or which was fertilized homogeneously or heterogeneously. Furthermore, heterogeneous soil water distribution was established in half of the containers by using a finer instead of a coarser sand in a lateral third of the containers. Plant growth increased with water supply rate, but P fertilization had no influence on shoot biomass production. Although overall cluster root production decreased with increasing homogeneous P supply, localized P fertilization had no effect on cluster root allocation. However, cluster roots were preferentially allocated in the soil sections with lower water availability when overall water supply rate was low. The results suggest that overall cluster root production was a systemic response to initial plant P status, while cluster root growth was stimulated locally in drier patches when overall water supply was limiting plant growth.

Subsurface lateral preferential flow network revealed by time‐lapse ground‐penetrating radar in a hillslope

AbstractSubsurface lateral preferential flow (LPF) has been observed to contribute substantially to hillslope and catchment runoff. However, the complex nature of LPF and the lack of an appropriate investigation method have hindered direct LPF observation in the field. Thus, the initiation, persistence, and dynamics of LPF networks remain poorly understood. This study explored the application of time‐lapse ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) together with an artificial infiltration to shed light on the nature of LPF and its dynamics in a hillslope. Based on our enhanced field experimental setup and carefully refined GPR data postprocessing algorithms, we developed a new protocol to reconstruct LPF networks with centimeter resolution. This is the first time that a detailed LPF network and its dynamics have been revealed noninvasively along a hillslope. Real‐time soil water monitoring and field soil investigation confirmed the locations of LPF mapped by time‐lapse GPR surveys. Our results indicated the following: (1) Increased spatial variations of radar signals after infiltration suggested heterogeneous soil water changes within the studied soil, which reflected the generation and dynamics of LPF; (2) Two types of LPF networks were identified, the network at the location of soil permeability contrasts and that formed via a series of connected preferential flow paths; and (3) The formation and distribution of LPF networks were influenced by antecedent soil water condition. Overall, this study demonstrates clearly that carefully designed time‐lapse GPR surveys with enhanced data postprocessing offer a practical and nondestructive way of mapping LPF networks in the field, thereby providing a potentially significant enhancement in our ability to study complex subsurface flow processes across the landscape.

Multifractal Analysis of the Heterogeneous Soil Water Flow in Root Zone

Multifractal Analysis of the Heterogeneous Soil Water Flow in Root Zone

Modeling the influence of differential sectoriality on the photosynthetic responses of understory saplings to patchy light and water availability

Exploitation of patchy light is a key determinant of plant performance in the forest understory. While many adaptive traits are known, the role of stem vasculature in understory photosynthesis is not established. Sectoriality—the degree of vascular constraint to long distance transport—has been hypothesized to limit growth in heterogeneous light. We simulated the photosynthetic potential of sectored and integrated plants in patchy light, as a function of soil water potential (patchy or uniform). We used hydraulic parameters typical of temperate woody species in an Ohm’s law model including a tangential resistance parameter, and simulated cavitation by varying axial resistance of leaves, leaves and roots, or the whole plant. Our results suggest that differential sectoriality will not affect photosynthesis when water is plentiful, but can constrain stomatal conductance at more negative soil water potentials, especially when only a small portion of the crown receives light. This effect is strongest just below the turgor loss point, and depends on axial resistance and soil water heterogeneity. Increased resistance in high light leaves decreases photosynthesis regardless of sectoriality. However, when resistance is increased for leaves and roots or the whole plant, photosynthesis decreases more for sectored than for integrated plants. Moreover, the simulations suggest that sectoriality can further depress photosynthesis when water availability is asymmetrical. These results might explain why integrated species, such as Betula lenta, B. alleghaniensis, and Acer saccharum thrive in the forest understory and grow rapidly into canopy gaps, while sectored species, such as Quercus rubra, do not.

Within-field variation of mycotoxin contamination of winter wheat is related to indicators of soil moisture

Humidity is an important determinant of the mycotoxin production (DON, ZEA) by Fusarium species in the grain ears. From a landscape perspective humidity is not evenly distributed across fields. The topographically-controlled redistribution of water within a single field rather leads to spatially heterogeneous soil water content and air humidity. Therefore we hypothesized that the spatial distribution of mycotoxins is related to these topographically-controlled factors. To test this hypothesis we studied the mycotoxin concentrations at contrasting topographic relief positions, i.e. hilltops and depressions characterized by soils of different soil moisture regimes, on ten winter wheat fields in 2006 and 2007. Maize was the preceding crop and minimum tillage was practiced in the fields. The different topographic positions were associated with moderate differences in DON and ZEA concentrations in 2006, but with significant differences in 2007, with six times higher median ZEA and two times higher median DON detected at depression sites compared to the hilltops. The depression sites correspond to a higher topographic wetness index as well as redoximorphic properties in soil profiles, which empirically supports our hypothesis at least for years showing wetter conditions in sensitive time windows for Fusarium infections.

Heterogeneous soil water flow and macropores described with combined tracers of dye and iodine

Summary The objectives of this study were to examine applicability of the iodine–starch method to visualize heterogenous soil water flow and to investigate relationships between soil water heterogeneity and macropore structure vs. measurement scale as well as hydraulic boundaries. The food-grade dye pigment Brilliant Blue FCF dye and iodine–starch staining patterns were used to visualize soil macropore and soil water flow patterns, respectively. Totally 10 infiltration experiments were performed in the field, among which three were used to examine the iodine–starch method and seven were for various boundary conditions (i.e., the different initial ponding depths on the soil surface) and measurement scales (i.e., the soil surface areas covered initially by the tracer solutions). The cluster analysis method was used to distinguish preferential flow regions, while information measures were applied to quantify heterogeneity information content and complexity of macropores and flow systems. Results showed that the iodine–starch method was applicable to visualize soil water flow. Heterogeneous soil water flow contained more heterogeneity information than soil macropores. With a low infiltration amount, flow patterns were similar to the macropore patterns and controlled mainly by the macropores. As the infiltration amount increased, flow patterns were influenced by both macropores and boundary conditions. As the measurement scales increased, the preferential regions were more developed.