SPATIAL VARIABILITY OF SOIL WATER RETENTION FUNCTIONS IN A SILT LOAM SOIL

Soil water contents of a sandy loam and a silt loam soil were measured at −1500, −100, and either −20 or −30 kPa (the finer texture at −30 kPa) on pressure plate equipment, after samples of each soil had been treated with one of three soil conditioners or with water as a control treatment. One of the soil conditioners increased the soil water retention of both soils at all matric potentials while the other two increased soil water retention at −1500 kPa in the silt loam. The implications in terms of water availability to plants are discussed briefly. Key words: Matric potentials, soil water retention, soil conditioners, laboratory

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The Mechanical Impact of Water Affected the Soil Physical Quality of a Loam Soil under Minimum Tillage and No-Tillage: An Assessment Using Beerkan Multi-Height Runs and BEST-Procedure

Land ◽

10.3390/land10020195 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 195 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mirko Castellini ◽

Anna Maria Stellacci ◽

Danilo Sisto ◽

Massimo Iovino

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Water Retention ◽

Management Practices ◽

Soil Management ◽

Soil Water Retention ◽

Physical Quality ◽

Soil Physical Quality ◽

Loam Soil ◽

The Impact

The multi-height (low, L = 3 cm; intermediate, M = 100 cm; high, H = 200 cm) Beerkan run methodology was applied on both a minimum tilled (MT) (i.e., up to a depth of 30 cm) and a no-tilled (NT) bare loam soil, and the soil water retention curve was estimated by the BEST-steady algorithm. Three indicators of soil physical quality (SPQ), i.e., macroporosity (Pmac), air capacity (AC) and relative field capacity (RFC) were calculated to assess the impact of water pouring height under alternative soil management practices. Results showed that, compared to the reference low run, M and H runs affected both the estimated soil water retention curves and derived SPQ indicators. Generally, M–H runs significantly reduced the mean values of Pmac and AC and increased RFC for both MT and NT soil management practices. According to the guidelines for assessment of SPQ, the M and H runs: (i) worsened Pmac classification of both MT and NT soils; (ii) did not worsen AC classification, regardless of soil management parameters; (iii) worsened RFC classification of only NT soil, as a consequence of insufficient soil aeration. For both soil management techniques, a strong negative correlation was found between the Pmac and AC values and the gravitational potential energy, Ep, of the water used for the infiltration runs. A positive correlation was detected between RFC and Ep. The relationships were plausible from a soil physics point of view. NT soil has proven to be more resilient than MT. This study contributes toward testing simple and robust methods capable of quantifying soil degradation effects, due to intense rainfall events, under different soil management practices in the Mediterranean environment.

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Effectiveness of using pedo-transfer functions to quantify the spatial variability of soil water retention characteristics

Journal of Hydrology ◽

10.1016/s0022-1694(97)00056-5 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 202 (1-4) ◽

pp. 137-157 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Nunzio Romano ◽

Alessandro Santini

Keyword(s):

Spatial Variability ◽

Soil Water ◽

Water Retention ◽

Transfer Functions ◽

Soil Water Retention ◽

Retention Characteristics

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Lignin-based Hydrogel for Water Retention in Silt Loam Soil

10.13031/aim.202100216 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Toby A Adjuik ◽

Sue E Nokes ◽

Michael D Montross ◽

Ole Wendroth

Keyword(s):

Water Retention ◽

Silt Loam ◽

Silt Loam Soil ◽

Loam Soil

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Soil water drying and recharge rates as affected by tillage under continuous barley and barley-canola cropping systems in northwestern Canada

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/s00-029 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 81 (1) ◽

pp. 45-52 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

R H Azooz ◽

M A Arshad

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Soil Water ◽

Sandy Loam ◽

Time Domain Reflectometry ◽

Sandy Loam Soil ◽

Soil Conditions ◽

Silt Loam ◽

Silt Loam Soil ◽

Loam Soil ◽

The Impact

In areas of the northwestern Canadian Prairies, barley and canola are grown in a short growing season with high rainfall variability. Excessively dry soil in conventional tillage (CT) in dry periods and excessively wet soil in no-tillage (NT) in wet periods could cause a significant decrease in crop production by influencing the availability of soil water. The effects of CT, NT and NT with a 7.5-cm residue-free strip on the planting rows (NTR) on soil water drying (–dW/dt) and recharge (dW/dt) rates were studied in 1992 and 1993 during wet and dry periods to evaluate the impact of NTR, NT and CT systems on soil moisture condition. The soils, Donnelly silt loam and Donnelly sandy loam (both Gray Luvisol) were selected and soil water content by depth was measured by time domain reflectometry. Water retained at 6 matric potentials from –5 to –160 kPa were observed. In the field study, –dW/dt was significantly greater in CT than in NT in the silt loam for the 0- to 30-cm layer during the first 34 d after planting in 1992. The 0- to 30-cm soil layer in CT and NTR dried faster than in NT during a period immediately following heavy rainfall in the silt loam in 1993. The drying coefficient (–Kd ) was significantly greater in CT and NTR than in NT in the silt loam soil in 1993 and in the sandy loam soil in 1992 in the top 30-cm depth. The recharge coefficient (Kr) was significantly greater in NT and NTR than in CT for the silt loam soil. The NTR system increased the –dW/dt by 1.2 × 10-2 to 12.1 × 10-2 cm d-1 in 1992 and 1993 in the silt loam soil and by 10.2 × 10-2 cm d-1 in 1993 in the sandy loam soil as compared with NT. The dW/dt was 8.1 × 10-2 cm d-1 greater in NTR in 1992 and 1993 in the silt loam soil and was 1.9 × 10-2 greater in NTR in 1992 than in CT in the sandy loam soil. The laboratory study indicated that NT soils retained more water than the CT soils. The NTR practice maintained better soil moisture conditions for crop growth than CT in dry periods than NT in wet periods. Compared with NT, the NTR avoided prolonged near-saturated soil conditions with increased soil drying rate under extremely wet soil. Key words: Water drying, water recharge, water depletion, wet and drying periods, hydraulic properties, soil capacity to retain water

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Two types of biochars: one made from sugarcane bagasse, other one produced from paper fiber sludge and grain husks and their effects on water retention of a clay, a loamy soil and a silica sand

Soil and Water Research ◽

10.17221/15/2018-swr ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (No. 2) ◽

pp. 67-75

Author(s):

Hana Hlaváčiková ◽

Viliam Novák ◽

Koji Kameyama ◽

Katarína Brezianska ◽

Marek Rodný ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Sugarcane Bagasse ◽

Water Retention ◽

Contrast Material ◽

Application Rate ◽

Silica Sand ◽

Coarse Grained ◽

Soil Water Retention ◽

Fiber Sludge ◽

Loam Soil

Biochar (BC) is used as a soil amendment to enhance plant growth by improving mainly soil chemical and hydrophysical properties. In this work the effects of two types of BCs on soil water retention properties were analysed. The first type of BC was made from sugarcane bagasse. It was added to a clay “Shimajiri Maji” soil at an application rate of 3 w%. The second type of BC was made from paper fiber sludge and grain husks. It was added into a loam soil at rates of 3.6, and 7.3 w%. It was assumed that the effect of BC amendment will be more pronounced in coarse-grained soil than in fine-grained one. Therefore, the second type of BC was applied additionally in the silica sand, in a textured contrast material compared with the loam soil. The BC amendment caused statistically significant increase of water content in the transmission pores of the clay soil, in the storage pores of the loam soil, and in the macropores and the storage pores in the silica sand. Despite of the positive effect on soil water retention, statistically significant increase of available water capacity (AWC) was identified only in the loam soil with the larger BC amendment rate. Possible reasons are discussed.

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CHARACTERIZATION OF SOIL-WATER RETENTION OF A VERY GRAVELLY LOAM SOIL VARIED WITH DETERMINATION METHOD

Soil Science ◽

10.1097/01.ss.0000187372.53896.9d ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 171 (2) ◽

pp. 85-93 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Rashid Al-Yahyai ◽

Bruce Schaffer ◽

Frederick S. Davies ◽

Rafael Mu??oz-Carpena

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Water Retention ◽

Determination Method ◽

Soil Water Retention ◽

Loam Soil

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Assessing Soil Water Retention Characteristics and Their Spatial Variability Using Pedotransfer Functions

Pedosphere ◽

10.1016/s1002-0160(11)60143-4 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 413-422 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Kai-Hua LIAO ◽

Shao-Hui XU ◽

Ji-Chun WU ◽

Shu-Hua JI ◽

Qing LIN

Keyword(s):

Spatial Variability ◽

Soil Water ◽

Water Retention ◽

Pedotransfer Functions ◽

Soil Water Retention ◽

Retention Characteristics

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Topography and spatial variability of soil physical properties

Scientia Agricola ◽

10.1590/s0103-90162009000300009 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 66 (3) ◽

pp. 338-352 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

Marcos Bacis Ceddia ◽

Sidney Rosa Vieira ◽

André Luis Oliveira Villela ◽

Lenilson dos Santos Mota ◽

Lúcia Helena Cunha dos Anjos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spatial Variability ◽

Physical Properties ◽

Bulk Density ◽

Soil Water ◽

Water Retention ◽

Particle Density ◽

Soil Physical Properties ◽

Soil Water Retention ◽

Soil Attributes ◽

Physical Attributes

Among the soil formation factors, relief is one of the most used in soil mapping, because of its strong correlation with the spatial variability of soil attributes over a landscape. In this study the relationship between topography and the spatial variability of some soil physical properties was evaluated. The study site, a pasture with 2.84 ha, is located near Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, where a regular square grid with 20 m spacing was laid out and georreferenced. In each sampling point, altitude was measured and undisturbed soil samples were collected, at 0.0-0.1, 0.1-0.2, and 0.2-0.3 m depths. Organic carbon content, soil texture, bulk density, particle density, and soil water retention at 10 (Field Capacity), 80 (limit of tensiometer reading) and 1500 kPa (Permanent Wilting Point) were determined. Descriptive statistics was used to evaluate central tendency and dispersion parameters of the data. Semivariograms and cross semivariograms were calculated to evaluate the spatial variability of elevation and soil physical attributes, as well as, the relation between elevation and soil physical attributes. Except for silt fraction content (at the three depths), bulk density (at 0.2-0.3 m) and particle density (at 0.0-0.1 m depth), all soil attributes showed a strong spatial dependence. Areas with higher elevation presented higher values of clay content, as well as soil water retention at 10, 80 and 1500 kPa. The correlation between altitude and soil physical attributes decreased as soil depth increased. The cross semivariograms demonstrated the viability in using altitude as an auxiliary variable to improve the interpolation of sand and clay contents at the depth of 0.0-0.3 m, and of water retention at 10, 80 and 1500 kPa at the depth of 0.0-0.2 m.

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Multifractal analysis of soil hydraulic properties in arid areas

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr15284 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 54 (8) ◽

pp. 914 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

N. Pahlevan ◽

M. R. Yazdani ◽

A. A. Zolfaghari ◽

M. Ghodrati

Keyword(s):

Spatial Variability ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Water ◽

Multifractal Analysis ◽

Hydraulic Properties ◽

Water Retention ◽

Scaling Analysis ◽

Soil Hydraulic Properties ◽

Soil Water Retention ◽

Soil Hydraulic

Physical and hydraulic properties of soil are variable at different spatial scales. This indicates the necessity of understanding spatial patterns of soil properties. Scaling analysis, such as multifractal analysis, has been used to determine the spatial variability of soil properties. There are however limited numbers of studies concerning the applications of multifractal techniques applied to characterise spatial variability of soil properties in arid lands. The objective of this study was to quantify the scaling patterns of soil properties measured across a transect and to apply multifractal analysis in arid land areas. A transect with a length of 4.80km was selected, and soil properties were measured at 0–20cm depth every 145m along the transect. The soil properties analysed were: texture (sand, silt, clay), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), bulk density (BD), soil hydraulic properties (saturated hydraulic conductivity Ks and the van Genuchten soil water-retention equation’s parameters nv and αv), saturated water content (θs), and the slope of the soil water-retention curve at its inflection point (S). Results showed that the variability of pH and BD was characterised by quasi-monofractal behaviour. Results showed that soil hydraulic properties such as Ks, αn, nv, S, and θs were characterised by higher multifractal indices in the transects. EC showed the highest tendency to a multifractal type of scaling or the higher degree of multifractality.

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