Effects of Estimating Soil Hydraulic Properties and Root Growth Factor on Soil Water Balance and Crop Production

2009 ◽  
Vol 101 (3) ◽  
pp. 572-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liwang Ma ◽  
Gerrit Hoogenboom ◽  
S. A. Saseendran ◽  
P. N. S. Bartling ◽  
Lajpat R. Ahuja ◽  
...  
Soil Research ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 221 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Connolly ◽  
M. Bell ◽  
N. Huth ◽  
D. M. Freebairn ◽  
G. Thomas

We test APSIM-SWIM's ability to simulate infiltration and interactions between the soil water balance and grain crop growth using soil hydraulic properties derived from independent, point measurements. APSIMSWIM is a continuous soil-crop model that simulates infiltration, surface crusting, and soil condition in more detail than most other soil-crop models. Runoff, soil water, and crop growth information measured at sites in southern Queensland was used to test the model. Parameter values were derived directly from soil hydraulic properties measured using rainfall simulators, disc permeameters and ponded rings, and pressure plate apparatus. In general, APSIM-SWIM simulated infiltration, runoff, soil water and the water balance, and yield as accurately and reliably as other soil crop models, indicating the model is suitable for evaluating effects of infiltration and soil-water relations on crop growth. Increased model detail did not hinder application, instead improving parameter transferability and utility, but improved methods of characterising crusting, soil hydraulic conductivity, and macroporosity under field conditions would improve ease of application, prediction accuracy, and reliability of the model. Model utility and accuracy would benefit from improved representation of temporal variation in soil condition, including effects of tillage and consolidation on soil condition and bypass flow in cracks. infiltration, crop models, APSIM, water balance, soil structure.


2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 170-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vilim Filipović ◽  
Thomas Weninger ◽  
Lana Filipović ◽  
Andreas Schwen ◽  
Keith L. Bristow ◽  
...  

AbstractGlobal climate change is projected to continue and result in prolonged and more intense droughts, which can increase soil water repellency (SWR). To be able to estimate the consequences of SWR on vadose zone hydrology, it is important to determine soil hydraulic properties (SHP). Sequential modeling using HYDRUS (2D/3D) was performed on an experimental field site with artificially imposed drought scenarios (moderately M and severely S stressed) and a control plot. First, inverse modeling was performed for SHP estimation based on water and ethanol infiltration experimental data, followed by model validation on one selected irrigation event. Finally, hillslope modeling was performed to assess water balance for 2014. Results suggest that prolonged dry periods can increase soil water repellency. Inverse modeling was successfully performed for infiltrating liquids, water and ethanol, withR2and model efficiency (E) values both > 0.9. SHP derived from the ethanol measurements showed large differences in van Genuchten-Mualem (VGM) parameters for the M and S plots compared to water infiltration experiments. SWR resulted in large saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) decrease on the M and S scenarios. After validation of SHP on water content measurements during a selected irrigation event, one year simulations (2014) showed that water repellency increases surface runoff in non-structured soils at hillslopes.


Biologia ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Horst Gerke ◽  
Rolf Kuchenbuch

AbstractPlants can affect soil moisture and the soil hydraulic properties both directly by root water uptake and indirectly by modifying the soil structure. Furthermore, water in plant roots is mostly neglected when studying soil hydraulic properties. In this contribution, we analyze effects of the moisture content inside roots as compared to bulk soil moisture contents and speculate on implications of non-capillary-bound root water for determination of soil moisture and calibration of soil hydraulic properties.In a field crop of maize (Zea mays) of 75 cm row spacing, we sampled the total soil volumes of 0.7 m × 0.4 m and 0.3 m deep plots at the time of tasseling. For each of the 84 soil cubes of 10 cm edge length, root mass and length as well as moisture content and soil bulk density were determined. Roots were separated in 3 size classes for which a mean root porosity of 0.82 was obtained from the relation between root dry mass density and root bulk density using pycnometers. The spatially distributed fractions of root water contents were compared with those of the water in capillary pores of the soil matrix.Water inside roots was mostly below 2–5% of total soil water content; however, locally near the plant rows it was up to 20%. The results suggest that soil moisture in roots should be separately considered. Upon drying, the relation between the soil and root water may change towards water remaining in roots. Relations depend especially on soil water retention properties, growth stages, and root distributions. Gravimetric soil water content measurement could be misleading and TDR probes providing an integrated signal are difficult to interpret. Root effects should be more intensively studied for improved field soil water balance calculations.


Soil Research ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 487 ◽  
Author(s):  
MA Rab ◽  
KA Olsson ◽  
ST Willatt

Resistances to water flow were analysed for the soil-root system of a potato crop growing on a duplex soil-where soil hydraulic properties varied with depth-under two irrigation regimes: 'wet' (irrigated weekly) and 'dry' (irrigated twice only during the growing season). The relative magnitudes of the soil and plant resistances controlling root water uptake were evaluated over depth and time using field-measured soil hydraulic properties and root length densities in successive soil layers. Resistance to water flow in the root system is likely to be the dominant resistance in the liquid phase, although soil resistance increased more rapidly than plant resistance with decreasing soil-water matric potential and root length density. Soil resistance reached similar values to plant resistance only when the soil-water matric potential was in the range -900 kPa to -1500 kPa (corresponding soil hydraulic conductivities of 10-7 and 10-8 m day-1 respectively), depending on the root length beneath unit ground area in the soil layer, La. Poor utilization of water from depth of this soil was attributed to resistance in the root system (possibly radial) associated with low La. Practical considerations for improved water management of the potato crop on clay soils are discussed.


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