scholarly journals Soil health indicators for Central Washington orchards

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. e0258991
Author(s):  
Sara Tianna DuPont ◽  
Lee Kalcsits ◽  
Clark Kogan
Keyword(s):  
Water Availability ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Stakeholder Management ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Water Capacity ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Available Water Capacity ◽  
Root Health

Soil health assessment can be a critical soil testing tool that includes biological and physical indicators of soil function related to crop and environmental health. Soil health indicator minimum data sets should be regional and management goal specific. The objective of this study was to initiate the steps to develop a soil assessment tool for irrigated orchard soils in Central Washington, United States including defining objectives, gathering baseline data and selecting target indicators. This study measured twenty-one biological, physical and chemical properties of soils in irrigated Central Washington apple orchards including indicators of water availability, root health, fertility, and biological activity. Soil factors were related to fruit yield and quality. Principal components and nonlinear Bayesian modeling were used to explore the relationship between soil health indicators and yield. Soil indicators measurements in Washington state orchards varied widely but generally had lower organic matter, available water capacity, wet aggregate stability and higher percent sand than in other regions. Linear mixed effects models for available water capacity and percent sand showed significant effects on yield, and models for root health ratings and Pratylenchus nematodes had moderate effects. The minimum dataset of soil health indicators for Central Washington orchards should include measurements of water availability (available water capacity, percent sand) and of root health (bean root health rating, Pratylenchus nematodes) in addition to standard fertility indicators to meet stakeholder management goals.

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.

scholarly journals Determination of the effects of tillage on the productivity of a sandy loam soil using soil productivity models

2021 ◽  
Vol 67 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 108-115
Author(s):  
Tanko Bako ◽  
Ezekiel Ambo Mamai ◽  
Istifanus Akila Bardey
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Iron Oxide ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Aluminium Oxide ◽  
Available Phosphorus ◽  
Soil Productivity ◽  
Water Capacity ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Available Water Capacity ◽  
Tillage Methods

Based on the hypothesis that soil properties and productivity components should be affected by different tillage methods, field and laboratory experiments were conducted to study the effects of zero tillage (ZT), one pass of disc plough tillage (P), one pass of disc plough plus one pass of disc harrow tillage (PH) and one pass of disc plough plus two passes of disc harrow tillage (PHH) on the distribution of the bulk density, available water capacity, pH, organic matter, available phosphorus, iron oxide and aluminium oxide at different soil depths, and their effects on the soil productivity. The available water capacity, pH, organic matter and available phosphorus were found to increase with the degree of tillage, while the bulk density, iron oxide and aluminium oxide were found to decrease with the degree of tillage. The results show that the soil productivity index was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected by the tillage methods and found to increase with the degree of tillage.

scholarly journals Improvement of soil available water capacity using biopore infiltration hole with compost in a coffee plantation

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 2791-2799
Author(s):  
Atiqah Aulia Hanuf ◽  
Sugeng Prijono ◽  
S Soemarno
Keyword(s):  
Chlorophyll Content ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Coffee Plantation ◽  
Coffee Tree ◽  
Coffee Pulp ◽  
Water Capacity ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Available Water Capacity

Coffee plantation management has an important role in soil quality in order to increase coffee production. Biopore Infiltration Hole with Compost (BIHC) can increase soil available water capacity. In this study, the goal was to improve soil available water capacity in a coffee plantation with the implementation of the BIHC. This study was conducted at PTPN XII Bangelan, Malang, on March - August 2020. A randomized block design with seven treatments and four replications was used. The BIHC consisted of two-hole depths (30 cm and 60 cm) and two types of compost (goat manure and coffee pulp compost). The soil characteristics observed were water retention (pF) and C-organic at soil depths of 0-20, 20-40, and 40-60 cm. The coffee tree observed were number of leaves and chlorophyll content. Data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) by the F test and Duncan's Multiple Distance Rate Test (DMRT) at 5% probability, using SPSS program. Results of the study showed that BIHC was able to increase the content of soil C-organic and the available water capacity significantly compared with control treatment. The BIHC implementation could increase soil available water capacity up to 65% at a soil depth of 0-20 cm, up to 60% at a soil depth of 20-40 cm, and up to 51% at a soil depth of 40-60 cm more than the control treatment. The soil available water capacity suggested a significant positive correlation (p≤0.05) with the leaves number of coffee tree and chlorophyll content of leaves.

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