Soil Water Matric Potential Research Articles

Effects of Cover Crop on Selected Abiotic and Biotic Soil Health Indicators

Current cropping systems, like cover cropping, aim to improve soil health and crop productivity, with the former a more sustainable route to the latter. This can be done by evaluating the influence of cover crops (CCs) on soil health indicators, both abiotic and biotic, as is the objective of this study. Several CCs (crimson clover [Trifolium incarnatum L.], oats [Avena sativa], hairy vetch [Vicia villosa Roth.], winter wheat [Triticum aestivum L.], winter peas [Lathyrus hirsutus L.], flax [Linum usitassimum L.], triticale [Triticale hexaploide Lart.], cereal rye [Secale cereale], and barley [Hordeum vulgare L.]) were used across two research sites, set up using a completely randomized design with two levels of CCs (CC vs no cover crop [NC]) and three replicates during 2023. Soil samples were collected at 0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm depths and analyzed for soil physico-chemical properties and microbial biomass and composition. Results showed significantly lower bulk density values, greater water content (at 0 kPa soil water matric potential), greater volume-specific heat capacity (at 0 and -33 kPa soil water matric potential), greater total nitrogen, and numerically greater soil organic carbon under CC compared with NC management. This led to numerically greater microbial biomass and community composition (e.g., arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, eukaryotes, and fungi), and slightly lower microbial stress indicators (genotypic and chemical structure categorizations) under CC compared with NC management. However, the lack of significant differences between treatments suggests that three years is insufficient to detect improvements in measured soil health indicators. Further, the significant differences in measured soil health indicators between study sites suggests an influence of soil texture and order, and this warrants further investigations.

Stomatal and Non-Stomatal Leaf Responses during Two Sequential Water Stress Cycles in Young Coffea canephora Plants

Understanding the dynamics of physiological changes involved in the acclimation responses of plants after their exposure to repeated cycles of water stress is crucial to selecting resilient genotypes for regions with recurrent drought episodes. Under such background, we tried to respond to questions as: (1) Are there differences in the stomatal-related and non-stomatal responses during water stress cycles in different clones of Coffea canephora Pierre ex A. Froehner? (2) Do these C. canephora clones show a different response in each of the two sequential water stress events? (3) Is one previous drought stress event sufficient to induce a kind of “memory” in C. canephora? Seven-month-old plants of two clones (’3V’ and ‘A1’, previously characterized as deeper and lesser deep root growth, respectively) were maintained well-watered (WW) or fully withholding the irrigation, inducing soil water stress (WS) until the soil matric water potential (Ψmsoil) reached ≅ −0.5 MPa (−500 kPa) at a soil depth of 500 mm. Two sequential drought events (drought-1 and drought-2) attained this Ψmsoil after 19 days and were followed by soil rewatering until a complete recovery of leaf net CO2 assimilation rate (Anet) during the recovery-1 and recovery-2 events. The leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence, and leaf reflectance parameters were measured in six-day frequency, while the leaf anatomy was examined only at the end of the second drought cycle. In both drought events, the WS plants showed reduction in stomatal conductance and leaf transpiration. The reduction in internal CO2 diffusion was observed in the second drought cycle, expressed by increased thickness of spongy parenchyma in both clones. Those stomatal and anatomical traits impacted decreasing the Anet in both drought events. The ‘3V’ was less influenced by water stress than the ‘A1’ genotype in Anet, effective quantum yield in PSII photochemistry, photochemical quenching, linear electron transport rate, and photochemical reflectance index during the drought-1, but during the drought-2 event such an advantage disappeared. Such physiological genotype differences were supported by the medium xylem vessel area diminished only in ‘3V’ under WS. In both drought cycles, the recovery of all observed stomatal and non-stomatal responses was usually complete after 12 days of rewatering. The absence of photochemical impacts, namely in the maximum quantum yield of primary photochemical reactions, photosynthetic performance index, and density of reaction centers capable of QA reduction during the drought-2 event, might result from an acclimation response of the clones to WS. In the second drought cycle, the plants showed some improved responses to stress, suggesting “memory” effects as drought acclimation at a recurrent drought.

Effects of different soil water matric potentials on growth traits and yield characteristics of sunflower (Helianthus annuus Linn.) under drip irrigation in a salinized farmland in northern China

Effects of different soil water matric potentials on growth traits and yield characteristics of sunflower (Helianthus annuus Linn.) under drip irrigation in a salinized farmland in northern China

The impacts of cover crop mixes on the penetration resistance model of an Oxisol under no-tillage

Soil penetration resistance is used as an indicator of mechanical resistance to root growth into the soil matrix. However, penetration resistance measured only under wet soil conditions may not identify the effects of cover crops on soil structure. We aimed to determine the impact of individual and mixes of cover crops on soil penetration resistance as a function of water content and bulk density in an Oxisol under no-tillage in southern Brazil. Six treatments of individual and mixed cover crops were tested: (i) black oat; (ii) ryegrass; (iii) forage radish; (iv) wheat; (v) Fibrous-rooted crop mix: with 80 % fibrous-rooted and 20 % tap-rooted plants; and (vi) Tap-rooted crop mix: 40 % fibrous-rooted and 60 % tap-rooted plants. Soil cores were collected from a depth of 0–0.10 and 0.10–0.20 m and soil penetration resistance was evaluated under four soil water matric potentials (−6, −33, −100, and −500 kPa). Soil penetration resistance (Q) data for each treatment were fitted as a function of bulk density (ρ) and water content (θ) [Q=f(ρ, θ)]. The soil penetration resistance model was a non-linear equation (i.e., a double power function, with a negative exponent for water content and a positive exponent for bulk density). Under a given combination of bulk density and water content values, soil penetration resistance was higher after single crops than crop mixes, indicating a crop-mediated soil strengthening process. The cover crop mixes increased the macroporosity, resulting in an adequate soil physical quality for successional crops such as soybean, although no differences were observed for cover crops at soil water matric potentials of −60 hPa and −330 hPa when soil penetration resistance was used as a static measurement. The modelling of the soil resistance to penetration, as a function of soil bulk density and soil water content, showed that cover crops changed soil cohesion and reduced the impact of drying on soil strength when compared to the single cropping systems, indicating that soil penetration resistance should be modelled under a broad range of water contents, instead of only under a specific soil water content, to quantify the impacts of cover crops on soil strength.

Development and Application of an IoT-Based System for Soil Water Status Monitoring in a Soil Profile.

Soil water content (θ), matric potential (h) and hydraulic conductivity (K) are key parameters for hydrological and environmental processes. Several sensors have been developed for measuring soil θ-h-K relationships. The cost of such commercially available sensors may vary over several orders of magnitude. In recent years, some sensors have been designed in the framework of Internet of Things (i.e., IoT) systems to make remote real-time soil data acquisition more straightforward, enabling low-cost field-scale monitoring at high spatio-temporal scales. In this paper, we introduce a new multi-parameter sensor designed for the simultaneous estimation of θ and h at different soil depths and, due to the sensor's specific layout, the soil hydraulic conductivity function via the instantaneous profile method (IPM). Our findings indicate that a second-order polynomial function is the most suitable model (R2 = 0.99) for capturing the behavior of the capacitive-based sensor in estimating θ in the examined soil, which has a silty-loam texture. The effectiveness of low-cost capacitive sensors, coupled with the IPM method, was confirmed as a viable alternative to time domain reflectometry (TDR) probes. Notably, the layout of the sensor makes the IPM method less labor-intensive to implement. The proposed monitoring system consistently demonstrated robust performance throughout extended periods of data acquisition and is highly suitable for ongoing monitoring of soil water status.

Combined 2D- and 3D ERT monitoring as a geophysical tool for investigating spatial and temporal soil moisture fluctuations in a pine-beech forest

As climate change continues, forests are increasingly suffering from drought stress, which is leading to widespread forest dieback, but also to increased mortality of individual trees. In this regard, the impact of small-scale differences in water availability on individual trees has not yet been sufficiently studied to determine possible responses of different tree species to future droughts. Since conventional soil moisture monitoring and sampling methods only consider single points or small volumes, Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) is becoming increasingly important to cover a larger survey area and to detect small-scale heterogeneities with regard to soil properties and soil moisture.The current study describes the application of a combined two- and three-dimensional geoelectrical monitoring approach with daily measurements over two years (May 2021 – April 2023) in a forest ecosystem in Lower Franconia (northwestern Bavaria, Germany), which is strongly affected by climate change. Soil water content, soil matric potential, throughfall, and stem flow are also measured at the forest site as well as precipitation at an adjacent forest clearing.The seasonally (long-term) and precipitation-driven (short-term) temporal change of soil resistivity is correlated strongly with the measured soil water content and matric potential. The applied 3D-ERT approach also allowed a first three-dimensional monitoring of the subsurface below a European beech located in the middle of the measuring grid with a daily resolution. The corresponding results also provide first indications that besides soil moisture changes also chemical processes in the subsurface may influence temporal resistivity changes in the soil of forest sites.The results of this study show that daily 3D-ERT is very suitable for investigating small-scale as well as short- and long-term variations in soil moisture, which is becoming increasingly important for understanding the causal relationships considering tree mortality and the subsurface.

Prediction of the weighted-mean soil water diffusivity in supporting the falling rate stage of evaporation

Daily soil evaporation from drying soil can be described as isothermal linear diffusion process, resulting in a simple equation for estimating soil evaporation rate. However, determining soil water diffusivity and subsequently the crucial parameter of weighted-mean diffusivity, essential for estimating soil evaporation rate, is challenging and time-consuming. In this paper, the soil water diffusivity was re-evaluated by considering the effect of film flow, a phenomenon often overlooked but recently argued by Wang et al. (2019, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR025003) as the dominant process in the falling rate stage of evaporation. Theoretical derivation reveals a universal relationship between soil water diffusivity and matric potential, independent of soil types. Additionally, soil water diffusivity can be expressed in the form of an exponential function, a form commonly assumed empirically in the literature. Testing with various datasets suggests that the theoretically derived soil water diffusivity generally agrees closely with observations for matric potentials less than about −1 m, wherein the diffusivity accounting for capillary flow shows significant underestimation. Furthermore, a simple function is derived for estimating the weighted-mean diffusivity, enabling a direct estimation of soil evaporation rates in the falling rate stage. Testing with various data sets of different soil types and ambient conditions generally demonstrates close agreements between the estimated soil evaporation rates and observations, indicating that the developed method provides a robust estimation of the weighted-mean soil water diffusivity. When the initial matric potential of the linear diffusion process of drying is higher than about −1 m, which usually occurs under very high atmospheric demand conditions or for very coarse-textured soils, however, the effects of capillary flow were found to be important and need consideration. The effects of vapor diffusion were also discussed and found to have a negligible impact on the estimation of weighted-mean soil water diffusivity.

Modeling the effect of slope aspect on temporal variation of soil water content and matric potential using different approaches by HYDRUS-1D

Slope aspect affects microclimate and soil moisture conditions, and thus has an important effect on the hydrological cycle. Given the lack of precise field data on this effect, two soil temperature, moisture and matric potential monitoring sites on north- and south-facing slopes have been established since 2017 in sandy loam soil under beech forest in a small valley near Ebergötzen, central Germany. HYDRUS-1D software was used with different approaches (including Rosetta, RETC, and RETC–measured θs approaches) for deriving soil hydraulic parameters of the van Genuchten model, to simulate temporal variability of soil water content and matric potential in the two slope aspects. Due to different microclimatic conditions, the south-facing slope was warmer and drier than the north-facing slope (two-years average temperatures 9.71 and 9.36 °C, and two-years average soil water contents 0.17 and 0.26 cm3 cm-3, respectively). The model was satisfactorily calibrated and validated on the two slopes. The calibration for the wet period was better on the south-facing slope (R2 = 0.772) than on the north-facing slope (R2 = 0.690). The simulation performance by HYDRUS-1D was better in the wet period than in the dry period. In the dry period, the model was better calibrated for the north-facing slope (R2 = 0.880) than for the south-facing slope (R2 = 0.691). The better calibration results for the wet period of south-facing slope can be explained by the location of the majority of measured soil water retention data which were in the near-saturation zone on the north-facing slope, and discontinuity of second-order derivative of the van Genuchten equation at saturation point when shape parameter (n) is smaller than 2. According to the model ability and different datasets used for the model validation, the north-facing plot was validated better than the south-facing plot for both wet and dry periods. Given that Rosetta was developed based on a soil hydraulic dataset from temperate climates, and the shortcomings of the hydraulic model, our results indicated that the Rosetta–derived approach was a reliable source for soil hydraulic parameters in both slope aspects for the wet period. However, the RETC–derived parameters were more accurate than Rosetta for the dry period on the north-facing slope.

A novel laboratory method for the retrieval of the soil water retention curve from shortwave infrared reflectance

The soil water retention curve (SWRC) is an essential soil property that relates soil water content and matric potential. It plays a crucial role in soil water dynamics and the understanding of various hydrological phenomena at the land surface, including infiltration, runoff, evaporation, and energy exchange processes. In recent years, proximal sensing methods have shown great potential for retrieving this challenging-to-measure property from spectral reflectance. However, a physically-based approach is still lacking as current methods rely on empirical data-driven algorithms. Here we propose a novel physics-based laboratory method that, for the first time, enables direct estimation of the entire SWRC from saturated to dry using soil water content/reflectance data pairs within the shortwave infrared domain. The main hypothesis underlying the new method is that soil optical properties not only vary with soil water content but also with the pore scale distribution of capillary and adsorbed soil water. For evaluation, retrieved soil water retention curves of 21 soils that vastly differ in physical and hydraulic properties were compared to direct measurements. The results suggest that the new method is a rapid and efficient alternative to established laboratory measurement methods.

Monitoring of Thick Vadose Zone Water Dynamics Under Irrigation Using a 48 m Deep Caisson at the Luancheng Critical Zone Observatory

AbstractUnderstanding soil water dynamics in the deep vadose zone (DVZ, below the root zone) of irrigated farmland is critical for estimating groundwater recharge and assessing the impacts of agricultural activities on groundwater quality. However, the state and movement of soil water in the DVZ remain poorly understood owing to the lack of in‐situ observations. Here, based on a 48‐m deep caisson (Critical Zone Observatory, CZO) established in a typical irrigated farmland in the piedmont region of the North China Plain, we extended the monitoring of soil water content and matric potential across the entire vadose zone profile. We found that a high soil water content and matric potential (close to or slightly higher than the field capacity) was maintained in the DVZ of typical irrigated cropland. The response of soil water in the DVZ to the water inputs at the ground surface was predominantly sequentially delayed with an increase in depth in the DVZ. As a result, the wetting front propagated into the soil layer to a depth of 38 m within 228 days. Moreover, high soil moisture contents and matric potentials in the DVZ resulted in a dramatic but explicable difference between the estimated average pore water velocity (0.73 m year−1) and the wetting front propagation rate (0.16 m day−1). This study demonstrates the unreported rapid response of soil water in the DVZ to water input at the ground surface under intensively irrigated cropland and could promote a better understanding of groundwater recharge processes with a thick unsaturated zone.

Time Domain Transmissiometry-Based Sensor for Simultaneously Measuring Soil Water Content, Electrical Conductivity, Temperature, and Matric Potential.

Owing to the increasing popularity of smart agriculture in recent years, it is necessary to develop a single sensor that can measure several soil properties, particularly the soil water content and matric potential. Therefore, in this study, we developed a sensor that can simultaneously measure soil water content (θ), electrical conductivity (σb), temperature, and matric potential (ψ). The proposed sensor can determine θ and σb using time domain transmissiometry and can determine ψ based on the capacitance of the accompanying ceramic plate. A series of laboratory and field tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of the sensor. The sensor output values were correlated with the soil properties, and the temperature dependence of the sensor outputs was evaluated. Additionally, field tests were conducted to measure transient soil conditions over a long period. The results show that the developed sensor can measure each soil property with acceptable accuracy. Moreover, the root-mean-square errors of the sensor and reference values were 1.7 for the dielectric constant (which is equivalent to θ), 62 mS m-1 for σb, and 0.05-0.88 for log ψ. The temperature dependence was not a problem, except when ψ was below -100 kPa. The sensor can be used for long-term measurements in agricultural fields and exhibited sufficient lifetime and performance. We believe that the developed sensor can contribute to smart agriculture and research on heat and mass transfer in soil.

Soil hydraulic properties and pore dynamics under different tillage and irrigated crop sequences

Soil hydraulic properties and pore continuity are important parameters of soil quality and may differ among tillage systems, crop rotations, and change over time. However, there are some contrasting results, depending on soil type, climate and cultivation history on the spatial and temporal variations. The objective of this study was to determine spatio-temporal dynamics of soil hydraulic properties and pore characteristics (i.e., pore volume, effective porosity, and continuity) on a silt loam long-term tillage field experiment, in Agramunt, NE Spain, during two cropping years. Undisturbed soil samples were used to determine soil water retention, θ(Ψ), and soil hydraulic conductivity, K(Ψ), curves in two different tillage systems (intensive tillage, IT vs no-tillage, NT), two crop sequences (short fallow-maize, FM vs legume-maize, LM) and two positions (within the row of crops, W-row vs between the rows of crops, B-row). The results revealed that LM had greater specific hydraulic conductivity, Kpc in its macroporosity (>1000 µm) than FM due to greater number of effective pores, Npc and effective porosity, εpc. Soil water content, θ was greater under IT than under NT at higher soil water matric potential, Ψ (≥-3 cm H2O), whilst the opposite was observed at lower Ψ (≤ − 50 cm H2O). Long-term NT showed greater hydraulic conductivity, K at higher Ψ (≥ − 10 cm H2O) than IT, and no difference at lower Ψ. Although IT had greater pore volume, ϕpc than NT in the macroporosity and coarse mesoporosity (1000–60 µm) pore size classes, NT had two times greater Kpc than IT due to increased Npc, εpc, and pore continuity, Cwpc. K(Ψ) and pore characteristics showed spatial variations (W-row vs B-row). W-row had significantly greater K at higher Ψ (≥ − 3 cm H2O) than B-row. Temporal dynamics of soil hydraulic properties and pore characteristics were not evident under IT during crop succession. This study shows that LM increases specific hydraulic conductivity of soil macroporosity by increasing the number of effective macropores and the effective porosity. In a Mediterranean climate, this may improve the hydrological functions of agricultural soil and associated crop yield. Further, long-term NT formed a stable number of effective macropores and coarse mesopores, and showed a greater pore continuity in coarse and fine mesopores, resulting in improved soil water flux.

The dynamic changes of soil air‐filled porosity associated with soil shrinkage in a Vertisol

AbstractSoil aeration is critical for crop growth, which is generally assessed by air‐filled porosity (AFP). In non‐rigid soils with high shrinkage and swelling, the AFP is not only related to the total porosity and soil moisture, but also to the soil shrinkage behaviour. However, the relationship between AFP and soil shrinkage has not been clarified. The objectives of this study were to (1) establish a mathematical equation to describe the behaviours of AFP associated with soil shrinkage (AFPsh); and (2) to evaluate the influence of tillage practice on the AFPsh. Undisturbed soil core samples were collected from the 0–10 cm to 10–20 cm layers in a Vertisol under four tillage treatments (No tillage, NT; Rotary tillage, RT; Subsoiling, SS; Deep ploughing, DP) to measure the changes in the volumes of soil core, soil water and air at different soil matric potentials. Our results showed that an equation of AFPsh as a function of moisture ratio (ϑ) was well established based on the developed soil shrinkage model (R2 > 0.990, RMSE <0.012). Compared with the AFP under a constant pore assumption (AFPc), the AFPsh was significantly decreased by 10.6% to 60.3% as soil water matric potentials were at <−33 kPa in the 0–10 cm layer or at <−10 kPa in the 10–20 cm layer (p < 0.05). According to the AFPsh curve of the Vertisol, soil moisture content (θ) was approximately 68%–80% of the field capacity when AFPsh reached non‐limiting status (0.10 cm3 cm−3), where the soil matric potential was close to the wilting point (−1500 kPa). Deep tillage treatment (SS and DP) increased AFPsh, showing good performance in decreasing the risk of soil aeration deficit relative to the NT and RT treatment. Our results demonstrate that neglecting the porosity variations during shrinkage may lead to a high bias in the AFP prediction.Highlights An equation of AFP associated with soil shrinkage was established. AFP was significantly decreased when soil shrinkage was considered for a Vertisol. The Vertisol was easily subjected to both water and air stress due to soil shrinkage. Deep tillage practises improved soil aeration in the Vertisol.

Effects of Gravity on Evaporation for Soil‐Limited Conditions

AbstractThis manuscript systematically investigates the effects of gravity during soil‐limited (Stage 2) evaporation from bare soil. Analytical and numerical solutions to the one‐dimensional Richards soil moisture flow equation are developed based on simplified hydraulic functions that depend exponentially on soil water matric potential. Semi‐infinite domains with either freely draining or hydrostatic bottom boundary conditions and finite domains with no‐flow bottom boundary conditions are considered. Cases with gravity are directly compared to those without. The simplified solutions are verified by comparison to numerical solutions with fully realistic soil hydraulic functions for two soils at the extreme ends of the range of possible soil textures. Cumulative evaporation versus time and soil volumetric water content versus depth at selected times are determined for each case from the simplified solutions. These results are reported in terms of non‐dimensional variables that are universal, spanning all soil textures and other conditions. For the semi‐infinite domain cases cumulative evaporation with gravity is reduced by several orders of magnitude for very coarse soils at times of practical interest while gravity has a negligible effect for the finest textures at those times. For the finite domain cases gravity is less important because cumulative evaporation is ultimately limited by the fixed amount of water in the profile.

Soil gas diffusivity and pore continuity dynamics under different tillage and crop sequences in an irrigated Mediterranean area

Gas diffusion can be used to quantify soil quality and structural development that is strongly affected by soil use and management practices. There is a lack of information about the quantitative effect of tillage combined with crop sequences on soil structure. This study aimed to quantify the effects of tillage and crop sequences on soil bulk density, gas diffusivity, air-filled porosity, and the resulting pore continuity and their dynamic during the cropping cycle. A total of 288 undisturbed soil samples were collected over two growing periods (2018–19 and 2019–20) on a long-term field experiment (~25 years old) in Agramunt, NE Spain. Three factors were investigated to observe their influence on the above-mentioned soil’s physical characteristics: two tillage systems (intensive tillage, IT and no-tillage, NT), two crop sequences (short fallow-maize, FM; legume-maize, LM) and two positions (within the row of crops, W-row; between rows of crops, B-row). Soil gas diffusivity was measured at five different soil water matric potentials (SWMP) (−10, −50, −100, −333 and −1000 cm H2O). LM crop sequence showed greater air-filled porosity, macroporosity and gas diffusivity, as well as enhanced pore continuity, than FM, especially at W-row. No significant differences were observed for measured gas diffusivity between NT and IT systems though NT had lower air-filled porosity and macroporosity (> 30 µm) compared to IT. Soil under NT showed greater pore continuity, particularly among macropores and less blocked pores than IT at higher SWMP (−10 cm H2O) but no difference was observed at lower SWMP (−1000 cm H2O) regardless of crop sequence and position. Air-filled porosity and pore continuity changes between maize planting and harvesting were greater under IT than NT. During the legume growing seasons, IT showed comparable pore continuity values to NT. In LM crop sequence soil gas transport was favorably affected alleviating the negative effect of intensive tillage on soil structural degradation. Long-term NT also improved soil structure as indicated by higher continuity of macropores, despite a decrease in air-filled porosity and macroporosity, but did not significantly lower gas diffusivity.

Low-cost and high-efficiency automated tensiometer for real-time irrigation monitoring

ABSTRACT Knowing the soil moisture available to plants is important for adequate management of water use in agricultural farms, with automated methods being the most accurate. However, acquisition costs are high and most of the commercially available irrigation controllers still work using pre-set times. This study aimed to develop and calibrate a low-cost automated tensiometer with high efficiency in irrigation control, based on real-time monitoring. The research was conducted at the Laboratories of Hydraulics and of Water Soil Plant and Atmosphere Relationship, which belong to the Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), in Dourados, MS, Brazil, with soil classified as an Oxisol. Pressure transducers and a microcontroller were used to assimilate the pressure inside tensiometers and transform it into readings of soil water matric potential (Ψm). Thus, the calibration was carried out by comparing the different readings of the transducer and digital tension meter. Different tensions were applied to obtain a soil moisture curve, starting from the most humid point (saturated) to the driest one (oven-dried soil), collecting 20 valid points. Subsequently, the data were subjected to the normality test, with subsequent statistical analysis and regression curve models. Linear adjustments with a high coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.99) were observed, with the automated system built in this study being capable of monitoring soil water tension in real-time.

Design and characterization of a pneumatic micro glass beads matrix sensor for soil water potential threshold control in irrigation management

Soil moisture porous matrix sensors may be good alternatives to tensiometers for measuring soil–water matric potential (SMP) for irrigation scheduling based on soil–water status approaches. The objective of this paper is to present and evaluate a new porous matrix sensor (IGstat) for detecting specific SMP thresholds for possible application in irrigation scheduling regulated by the SMP threshold concept. The IGstat sensor uses a non-sintered, glass bead microspheres (microGB) core and an outer ceramic cup, having larger air bubbling pressure (BP), to establish hydraulic contact with the soil. Pneumatic, optical, or electrical properties of the microGB porous medium can be then measured to infer the SMP. This paper describes and evaluates the performance of IGstat sensors for SMP threshold detection, using the pneumatic mode with a small air flow applied and air pressure monitored in the sensor tubing. Five IGstat sensors were built with different microGB diameters (15–125 µm) having air BP varying from 6 to 40 kPa. A power function was fitted to the data, which can be used to select microGB diameters to build IGstat sensors of required air BP. The experimental setup proposed to determine the sensor BP by incremental air injection provided air BP values in good agreement with those observed in a soil evaporation experiment (average relative error of 7.6%). The sensor responses in soil, with a small air pressure applied to them, showed a sharp pressure decreases when the SMP approached the sensor air BP, decreasing to about zero for SMP equal to the sensor air BP. The proposed sensors and approach showed potential for irrigation scheduling.

Deuterium depletion in xylem water and soil isotopic effects complicate the assessment of riparian tree water sources in the seasonal tropics

AbstractRiparian trees located in seasonally dry environments may be reliant on groundwater supplies, but the prevalence and magnitude of groundwater uptake is often unclear. Using soil water matric potential and water stable isotopes, we examined the relative contributions of soil water and groundwater to the dry season water uptake of five riparian tree species along an intermittent river of tropical northern Australia. Because xylem water was depleted in deuterium relative to source water (average offset −14.0‰), we numerically removed this offset and assessed the effect of the correction on mixing model results. We also estimated the isotopic composition of unbound soil water (i.e., the portion of soil water not tightly bound to soil particles) from bulk soil water data by using an empirical formulation from the literature and tested whether considering unbound soil water as a source would affect our results. Despite the hot and dry surface environment, we found that soil moisture was available for trees at relatively shallow (~0.7–1.5 m) depths. When unbound soil water and corrected xylem water data were considered, most tree species used a combination of this soil moisture source and groundwater from the capillary fringe. However, not correcting for isotopic effects resulted in large underestimations of the groundwater contributions to tree water uptake. Our findings suggest that ignoring soil isotopic effects and deuterium depletion in xylem water may reduce the validity of source water partitioning assessments. Further research is needed on the likely causes for deuterium depletion in xylem water.

Estimating soil water retention curves from soil thermal conductivity measurements

The soil water retention curve represents the relationship between soil water content (θ) and matric potential (ψ). The van Genuchten (vG) model is commonly used to characterize the shape of a θ(ψ) curve. Based on the similarities between θ(ψ) curves and soil thermal conductivity (λ) versus θ curves, Lu and Dong proposed a unified conceptual λ(θ) model (LD model) for estimating λ(θ) curves from θ(ψ) curves. Their work makes it possible to relate the shapes of λ(θ) curves to θ(ψ) curves. In this study, we present an empirical approach to estimate the vG model parameter m from the LD model shape parameter p based on a model calibration with θ(ψ) and λ(θ) datasets obtained from 10 soils. The saturated water content θs and the vG model parameter α are estimated from selected soil properties (i.e., bulk density, particle density, particle size distribution and organic carbon content), and the residual water content θr is estimated from the LD model parameter θf. For model evaluation, the θ(ψ) curves of six soils were estimated from measured λ(θ) values and selected soil properties, and were compared to direct θ(ψ) measurements. The proposed method performed well with root mean square errors of estimated θ values ranging from 0.015 to 0.052 cm3 cm−3 and bias ranging from −0.009 to 0.040 cm3 cm−3. We conclude that the proposed method accurately estimates θ(ψ) curves from λ(θ) curves and selected soil properties.

Effects of Wheat and Rapeseed Production on Soil Water Storage in Mongolian Rangeland

In recent years, Mongolia has witnessed an increase in not only wheat fields, which have been present for a long time, but also rapeseed fields. This has led to increasing concerns about soil degradation due to inappropriate cultivation. This study aims to determine the impacts of rapeseed production on soil water storage in Mongolia. The soil water content and matric potential were measured in wheat and rapeseed fields and adjacent steppe rangeland for five years, including crop production and fallow years, and the soil water storages in the fields were compared. The results demonstrated that the matric potential below the root zone in the rapeseed field and both rangelands was drier than the wilting point, whereas the potential in the wheat field was usually almost the same or wetter than this point. The comparison of the amount of soil water storage during the fallow year with that of the adjacent rangeland showed it to be 5–10% higher for the wheat field and almost equal for the rapeseed field. Field management must consider the fact that rapeseed fields use more water than is required by wheat fields and that less water is stored during fallow periods.