The Available-Water Capacity of Barbados Soils

1969 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 167-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Hudson
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
Soil Water Deficit ◽  
Water Capacity ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Montmorillonite Clays ◽  
Available Water Capacity ◽  
Water Holding ◽  
Large Soil

SummaryLarge soil monoliths, extracted undisturbed in 44-gallon oil drums, have been used to assess the available-water capacity, and the relation between the growth of sugarcane and soil water deficit for agricultural soils in Barbados. Constancy of field capacity was studied and the effect of cultivation on the storage of available soil water. Deep montmorillonite clays and oceanic soils had storage capacities greater than 20 cm. of water in an 80 cm. profile, whereas sandy or stony montmorillonite clays and most soils developed from kaolinite clays had capacities less than 11 cm. Cultivation significantly increased the water holding capacity of soils but this was rarely as great as for fabricated composts and the water was never so freely available. The data have been used in decisions about cultivation and irrigation, and as the basis for an ecological grouping of sugar estates according to their probable water balance.

Quantification of Available Water Capacity Comparing Standard Methods and a Pedostructure Method on a Weakly Structured Soil

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-301
Author(s):  
Amjad T. Assi ◽  
Rabi H. Mohtar ◽  
Erik F. Braudeau ◽  
Cristine L. S. Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
Soil Aggregate ◽  
Pedotransfer Functions ◽  
Water Retention Curve ◽  
Aggregate Structure ◽  
Standard Methods ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Water Holding

Abstract. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of the pedostructure concept to determine the soil available water capacity, specifically the field capacity (FC). Pedostructure describes the soil aggregate structure and its thermodynamic interaction with water. Specifically, this work compared the calculation of soil water-holding properties based on the pedostructure concept with other standard methods for determining FC and permanent wilting point (PWP). The standard methods evaluated were the FAO texture estimate (FAO method), the Saxton-Rawls pedotransfer functions (PTFs method), and the water content at predefined soil suction (330 and 15,000 hPa) as measured with a pressure plate apparatus (PP method). Additionally, two pedostructure methods were assessed: the thermodynamic water retention curve (TWRC method) and the thermodynamic pedostructure (TPC method). Undisturbed loamy fine sand soil from a field in Millican, Texas, was analyzed at both the Ap and E horizons. The results showed that the estimated water content at FC and PWP for the three standard methods and for the TWRC method were in relative agreement. However, the TPC method used characteristic transition points in the modeled contents of different water pools in the soil aggregate and was higher for the Ap horizon, but in agreement with the other methods for the E horizon. For example, for the Ap horizon of the soil analyzed in this study, the FC estimated with the standard and TWRC methods ranged from 0.073 to 0.150 m3H2O m-3soil, while the TPC method estimate was 0.221 m3H2O m-3soil. Overall, the different methods showed good agreement in estimating the available water; however, the results also showed some variations in these estimates. It is clear that the TPC method has advantages over the other methods in considering the soil aggregate structure and modeling the soil water content within the aggregate structure. The thermodynamic nature of the TPC method enabled the use of both the soil shrinkage curve and the water retention curve in a weakly structured soil. It is expected that the TPC method would provide more comprehensive advances in understanding the soil water-holding properties of structured soils with higher clay contents. Keywords: Available water, Field capacity, Pedostructure, Pedotransfer functions, Permanent wilting point.

scholarly journals Mapping the Available Water Capacity in tropical climate soils for soybean (Glycine max) cultivation in the state of Tocantins-Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
André De Moura Andrade ◽  
Rui Da Silva Andrade ◽  
Erich Collicchio
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
The State ◽  
Pedotransfer Functions ◽  
Water Retention Curve ◽  
Soil Water Retention Curve ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Water Capacity ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Available Water Capacity

Brazilian soybean has undergone considerable economic growth. Its production depends on the demand for some inputs. One of these inputs is the soil water supply, which can be made artificially or obtained by natural rainfall. Knowledge of available water capacity (AWC), which depends on total water availability (TWA), is poorly accessible and difficult to measure in the field. This study aimed to map the AWC of the state of Tocantins, based on pedotransfer functions (PTFs), to evaluate the water availability of the soils of the microregions of that state. We used the Arya and Paris model, aided by a computer program, Qualisolo, made by Embrapa Instrumentação. One hundred fifty-seven tropical soil samples were extracted from the Embrapa Solos portal. Preliminarily, the soil water retention curve (SWRC) was obtained and, subsequently, the TWA and AWC for this oilseed were estimated. Multiple linear regressions show the correlation between TWA and clay (CL), Silt (ST) and total sand (TS) contents. The correlation established was TWA = 3.2993 – 0.0028TS – 0.0034CL. This main conclusion reflects a fruitful AWC for decision-making by the soybean agribusiness and exposes the regional weaknesses for this crop under a rainfed regime in some regions of Tocantins. We could observe that, in terms of water availability, agribusiness is a potential threat to the environment protection area (APA) of the Ilha do Bananal/Cantão, Formoso River microregion.

A comparison of methods for determining soil water availability in two sites in Panama with similar rainfall but distinct tree communities

2005 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas A. Kursar ◽  
Bettina M. J. Engelbrecht ◽  
Melvin T. Tyree
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Plant Distribution ◽  
Tropical Rain Forests ◽  
Water Release ◽  
Water Capacity ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Available Water Capacity ◽  
Gravimetric Water Content

Plant productivity, distribution and diversity in tropical rain forests correlate with water availability. Water availability is determined by rainfall and also by the available water capacity of the soil. However, while rainfall is recognized as important, linkages between plant distribution and differences among soils in available water capacity have not been demonstrated. One reason for this may be that measurements of soil moisture, such as gravimetric water content, may be overly simplistic. To investigate this, we compared two sites in Panama, Allee and Rio Paja, which have similar rainfall but different plant communities. Soil water release curves were obtained from about −0.1 MPa to −9 MPa, permitting us to calculate available water capacity. The Rio Paja site had 17% greater available water capacity (between −0.1 MPa to −3 MPa), whereas the gravimetric water content at Rio Paja was lower by 16% in rainy season and by 41% at the end of the dry season. Hence soil gravimetric water content and soil available water capacity did not correspond. The results suggest that available water capacity may better predict plant distributions. Hence, whenever possible, available water capacity should be determined in addition to gravimetric water content.

Statistical equations for estimating field capacity, wilting point and available water capacity of soils from their saturation percentage

1988 ◽  
Vol 110 (3) ◽  
pp. 515-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. S. Dahiya ◽  
D. J. Dahiya ◽  
M. S. Kuhad ◽  
S. P. S. Karwasra
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Estimation Error ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Water Capacity ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Available Water Capacity ◽  
Wilting Point

SummaryStatistical equations were derived for estimating three soil moisture constants, i.e. field capacity (FC), wilting point (WP) and available water capacity (AWC), from soil saturation percentage (SP), which is an easily determinable parameter. The regression equations were evaluated from a data set obtained on 438 soil samples collected from different horizons of 111 profiles of the Indogangetic Plains in northern India, having a wide variation of texture and other physico-chemical properties. The three soil moisture constants were positively correlated with logarithms of SP (r = 0·985 for FC v. In SP, 0·979 for WP v. In SP, and 0·914 for AWC v. In SP). The regression equations were thetested on an independent set of experimental data on 57 samples collected from 14 representative soil profiles of the study area. Values of the three moisture constants of this data set, predicted from the regression equations, were in exceptionally good agreement with the observed values. The mean estimation error (the error of the estimated value relative to the measured value) was only 0·55% for FC, 0·12% for WP and 0·67% for AWC.

In a native pasture, landscape properties influence soil moisture more than grazing management

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (9) ◽  
pp. 1799 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. C. Mitchell ◽  
W. B. Badgery ◽  
P. Cranney ◽  
K. Broadfoot ◽  
S. Priest ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Water Capacity ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Available Water Capacity ◽  
High Production ◽  
Plant Available Water ◽  
Production Zone

It has been proposed that changes to grazing systems, from continuous to rotational grazing, alter the pasture mass and composition, which are reflected in changes to stored soil water. Additionally, in highly variable landscapes, determining whether the variation in soil water is due to the inherent landscape properties rather than the imposed grazing management has long been a contentious argument. To address this question, soil moisture was measured across a highly variable landscape under three differing grazing treatments (1-, 4- and 20-paddock systems). From the soil-water measurements, plant-available water and plant-available water capacity were determined. Different production zones (high, medium and low) were identified in the landscape by visually estimating green herbage mass in late spring. There were no observed differences in the measured plant-available water capacity across the grazing treatments; however, significant differences occurred in plant-available water capacity across the three production zones (high-production zone, 114 mm; medium-production zone, 102 mm; low-production zone, 88 mm) within the study period. There appears to be a trend between the plant-available water capacity and near-surface gravel content as measured in production zones. The high production zones held more plant-available water than did the low production zones, enabling more biomass and longer pasture growth during spring and autumn. The plant-available water in the low production zones significantly decreased with time. In all, 22 of the 50 soil-moisture monitoring locations displayed high temporal stability and were identified as being catchment-average soil water-content monitoring locations. A majority of these locations occurred in the medium production zone, demonstrating that representative soil moisture can be measured in these landscapes.

scholarly journals ATRIBUTOS FÍSICO-HÍDRICOS DO SOLO VIA FUNÇÕES DE PEDOTRANSFERÊNCIA EM SOLOS DOS TABULEIROS COSTEIROS DE PERNAMBUCO

Irriga ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-86
Author(s):  
Fernanda Helena Nascimento Andrade ◽  
Ceres Duarte Guedes Cabral de Almeida ◽  
Brivaldo Gomes de Almeida ◽  
João Audifax Cézar Albuquerque Filho ◽  
Bruno Campos Mantovanelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
Linear Regression Method ◽  
Coastal Plains ◽  
Water Capacity ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Available Water Capacity ◽  
Permanent Wilting Point ◽  
Santa Maria ◽  
Wilting Point

ATRIBUTOS FÍSICO-HÍDRICOS DO SOLO VIA FUNÇÕES DE PEDOTRANSFERÊNCIA EM SOLOS DOS TABULEIROS COSTEIROS DE PERNAMBUCO   FERNANDA HELENA NASCIMENTO DE ANDRADE1; CERES DUARTE GUEDES CABRAL DE ALMEIDA2; BRIVALDO GOMES DE ALMEIDA3; JOSÉ AUDIFAX CÉZAR DE ALBUQUERQUE FILHO1; BRUNO CAMPOS MANTOVANELLI4 E JOSÉ COELHO DE ARAÚJO FILHO5   1 Departamento de Engenharia Agrícola, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Agrícola da Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco - UFRPE, Rua Dom Manuel de Medeiros, S/N, Dois Irmãos, CEP: 52171-900, Recife, PE, Brasil, [email protected], [email protected] 2 Colégio Agrícola Dom Agostinho Ikas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Agrícola da Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco - UFRPE, Rua Dom Manuel de Medeiros, S/N, Dois Irmãos, CEP: 52171-900, Recife, PE, Brasil, [email protected]. 3 Departamento de Agronomia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência do Solo da Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco - UFRPE, Rua Dom Manuel de Medeiros, S/N, Dois Irmãos, CEP: 52171-900, Recife, PE, Brasil, [email protected]. 4 Departamento de Ciências Rurais, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência do Solo da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM, Avenida Roraima, n° 1000, Camobi, CEP: 97105-900, Santa Maria, RS, Brasil, [email protected]. 5 Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, EMBRAPA Solos - UEP Recife, Rua Antônio Falcão, n° 402, Boa Viagem, CEP: 51020-240, Recife, PE, Brasil, [email protected].     1 RESUMO   Objetivou-se gerar funções de pedotransferência (FPT) com base em dados das frações granulométricas, distribuição do tamanho de poros, densidade do solo e de partículas para estimar a umidade do solo equivalente à capacidade de campo (CC), ponto de murcha permanente (PMP) e a capacidade de armazenamento de água disponível (CAD) em Argissolos Amarelos representativos dos tabuleiros costeiros na zona da mata norte de Pernambuco. Para isso, foram coletadas amostras deformadas e indeformadas na camada 0,00 - 0,20 m de profundidade. As FPTs foram geradas a partir do método de regressão linear múltipla aplicando a técnica de stepwise backward. Este método eliminou alguns atributos físico-hídricos do solo baseado nos valores de R2 e no Teste t. Os coeficientes de regressão do modelo proposto para predição de CAD, CC e o PMP apresentaram significância de 1% de probabilidade para as variáveis independentes selecionadas para cada modelo, indicando que esses parâmetros podem ser preditos, com ótima precisão, a partir do conteúdo de areia, argila, mesoporosidade, microporosidade e densidade do solo, as quais são fáceis de serem determinadas e obtidas, pré-requisito básico para construção das FPTs.   Palavras-chave: manejo de irrigação, stepwise backward, índices estatísticos.     ANDRADE, F. H. N.; ALMEIDA, C. D. G. C.; ALMEIDA, B. G.; ALBUQUERQUE FILHO, J. A. C.; MANTOVANELLI, B. C.; ARAÚJO FILHO, J. C. SOIL PHYSICAL-HYDRIC PROPERTIES BY PEDOTRANSFER FUNCTION IN SOILS OF COASTAL PLAINS OF PERNAMBUCO   2 ABSTRACT   Aimed to generate pedotransfer functions (PTF) based on particle size, pore size distribution, soil and particle density to estimate the field capacity (CC), permanent wilting point (PMP) and available water capacity (CAD) in Ultisol Typic Fragiaquults in coastal plains of Pernambuco. Thus, deformed and undeformed samples were collected at 0.00 - 0.20m depth. PTFs were generated from multiple linear regression method by stepwise backward technique. This method eliminated some hydro-physical soil attributes, based on the values of R2 and t test. CAD, CC and PMP estimated values showed a significant correlation of 1% probability for independent variables selected for each model. Thus, available water capacity, field capacity and permanent wilting point can be predicted with great precision by sand, clay content, mesoporosity, microporosity and soil density, which are easy to determine and obtain, basic prerequisite for construction of PTFs.   Keywords: irrigation management, stepwise backward, statistical indexes.

scholarly journals Available water capacity of the surface layer of various soils from the arid and semiarid region of Puerto Rico

1969 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-140
Author(s):  
M. A. Lugo López
Keyword(s):  
Surface Layer ◽  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
Semiarid Region ◽  
Water Capacity ◽  
Semiarid Regions ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Available Water Capacity ◽  
Arid And Semiarid

The available water of soils is considered to be in the moisture range from field capacity to permanent wilting percentage. The customary procedures for determining these two soil constants are quite inconvenient. Although data are presented that show good agreement between moisture equivalents and field-capacity values in selected soils, it was not possible to obtain a reliable regression with soils from the arid and semiarid regions of Puerto Rico. The regression of permanent wilting percentages by the plant method to 15-atmosphere percentages is expressed by the equation, Y = 2.37 + 0.76 X, in which Y is the permanent wilting percentage and X is the 15- atmosphere percentage. Data on the available water capacity of the surface layer of sons from the arid and semiarid regions of Puerto Rico are presented. The range of available water is adequate in most soils, fluctuating from about 18 to 25, except in sands where it is lower. It is about the same in heavy soils such as clays and clay loams as in lighter ones such as sandy loam and sandy clay loams.

scholarly journals Field Characterization of Field Capacity and Root Zone Available Water Capacity for Variable Rate Irrigation

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 559-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsz Him Lo ◽  
Derek M. Heeren ◽  
Luciano Mateos ◽  
Joe D. Luck ◽  
Derrel L. Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Root Zone ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
Variable Rate ◽  
Water Capacity ◽  
Spatial Characterization ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Sampling Locations ◽  
Available Water Capacity ◽  
Variable Rate Irrigation

Abstract. Accurate spatial characterization of field capacity (FC) and root zone available water capacity (R) can enhance site-specific management practices—such as variable rate irrigation—to lower input costs, reduce contaminant leaching, and/or improve crop yield. Measuring the volumetric water content after wet soils drain following substantial precipitation can provide a field estimate of FC. The average FC (FCa) for the managed root zone was determined at thirty-two locations in a topographically variable field in south central Nebraska. The difference between FC and permanent wilting point estimates—computed using a pedotransfer function—yielded values for R for the observation locations. Sampling locations were too sparse for reliable interpolation across the field. Therefore, relationships between a surrogate, or predictor, variable and soil water properties were used to provide spatial distributions of FC and R for the field. Field estimates of FCa and R were more strongly correlated to elevation (correlation coefficient, r = -0.77 and -0.76, respectively) than to deep soil apparent electrical conductivity (r = -0.46 and -0.39, respectively). Comparing maps of FCa and R from gSSURGO to maps from field characterization yielded a root mean squared difference of 0.031 m3 m-3 for FCa and 34 mm for R. Sampling seven locations across the elevation range in this field produced FCa and R prediction functions that achieved 95% and 87%, respectively, of the reduction in the standard error achievable with a larger number of sampling locations. Spatial characterization of FCa and R depends on identifying a suitable predictor variable(s) based on field knowledge and available spatial data. Well-chosen variables may allow satisfactory predictions using several sampling locations that are distributed over the entire field. Ultimately, the costs and benefits of spatial characterization should be considered when evaluating site-specific water management. Keywords: Available water capacity, Electrical conductivity, Field capacity, Permanent wilting point, Spatial variability, Variable rate irrigation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document