The ability to simulate the dynamics of soil nitrogen under field conditions will aid our understanding of the nitrogen cycle. Our objective was to test the water and solute components of LEACHMN using data obtained from a field lysimeter study conducted on a medium-textured soil in southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada. Our preliminary evaluation of LEACHMN showed that the retentivity and conductivity functions used in this model were not appropriate for our soil as the original model permitted water transmission through the soil profile too rapidly. We, therefore, incorporated the van Genuchten retentivity function into LEACHMN and used the same soil water retention data to generate the van Genuchten parameters. The modified model was able to reproduce changes in water and chloride concentration after minimal calibration. Overall, the value of 0.45 used for the pan coefficient for soil under fallow and 12 mm used for dispersivity produced a realistic estimation of changes in water and chloride within the soil in the 2 yr of the field experiment. The model reproduced soil water redistribution in a fallow system. There was a tendency to under-estimate soil water content during dry periods, mainly as a result of the model’s tendency to over-estimate evaporation. While the centre of mass of chloride was correctly estimated, the model under-estimated the maximum depth of chloride penetration due to a slight tendency to over-estimate evaporation. Based on our statistical and graphical evaluation of LEACHMN, the modified model is adequate for our subsequent nitrate leaching study. Key words: LEACHMN, lysimeter, dryland, water, chloride, nitrate
Subsurface Drip Irrigation Emitter Spacing Effects on Soil Water Redistribution, Corn Yield, and Water Productivity
