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

Author(s):  
André De Moura Andrade ◽  
Rui Da Silva Andrade ◽  
Erich Collicchio

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.

2005 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas A. Kursar ◽  
Bettina M. J. Engelbrecht ◽  
Melvin T. Tyree

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.


2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 730-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Carlos Medeiros ◽  
Miguel Cooper ◽  
Jaqueline Dalla Rosa ◽  
Michel Grimaldi ◽  
Yves Coquet

Knowledge of the soil water retention curve (SWRC) is essential for understanding and modeling hydraulic processes in the soil. However, direct determination of the SWRC is time consuming and costly. In addition, it requires a large number of samples, due to the high spatial and temporal variability of soil hydraulic properties. An alternative is the use of models, called pedotransfer functions (PTFs), which estimate the SWRC from easy-to-measure properties. The aim of this paper was to test the accuracy of 16 point or parametric PTFs reported in the literature on different soils from the south and southeast of the State of Pará, Brazil. The PTFs tested were proposed by Pidgeon (1972), Lal (1979), Aina & Periaswamy (1985), Arruda et al. (1987), Dijkerman (1988), Vereecken et al. (1989), Batjes (1996), van den Berg et al. (1997), Tomasella et al. (2000), Hodnett & Tomasella (2002), Oliveira et al. (2002), and Barros (2010). We used a database that includes soil texture (sand, silt, and clay), bulk density, soil organic carbon, soil pH, cation exchange capacity, and the SWRC. Most of the PTFs tested did not show good performance in estimating the SWRC. The parametric PTFs, however, performed better than the point PTFs in assessing the SWRC in the tested region. Among the parametric PTFs, those proposed by Tomasella et al. (2000) achieved the best accuracy in estimating the empirical parameters of the van Genuchten (1980) model, especially when tested in the top soil layer.


2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-301
Author(s):  
Amjad T. Assi ◽  
Rabi H. Mohtar ◽  
Erik F. Braudeau ◽  
Cristine L. S. Morgan

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.


Author(s):  
João H. Caviglione

ABSTRACT One big challenge for soil science is to translate existing data into data that is needed. Pedotransfer functions have been proposed for this purpose and they can be point or parametric when estimating the water retention characteristics. Many indicators of soil physical quality have been proposed, including the S-Index proposed by Dexter. The objective of this study was to assess the use of pedotransfer functions for soil water retention to estimate the S-index under field conditions in the diversity of soils of the Paraná state. Soil samples were collected from 36 sites with textures ranging from sandy to heavy clay in the layers of 0-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m and under two conditions (native forest and cultivated soil). Water content at six matric potentials, bulk density and contents of clay, sand and silt were determined. Soil-water retention curve was fitted by the van Genuchten-Mualem model and the S-index was calculated. S-index was estimated from water retention curves obtained by the pedotransfer function of Tomasella (point and parametric). Although the coefficient of determination varied from 0.759 to 0.895, modeling efficiency was negative and the regression coefficient between observed and predicted data was different from 1 in all comparisons. Under field conditions in the soil diversity of the Paraná state, restrictions were found in S-index estimation using the evaluated pedotransfer functions.


1969 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 167-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Hudson

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.


2010 ◽  
Vol 335 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 229-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Asgarzadeh ◽  
Mohammad Reza Mosaddeghi ◽  
Ali Akbar Mahboubi ◽  
Akram Nosrati ◽  
Anthony Roger Dexter

Irriga ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Carlos de Campos Bernardi ◽  
Fernando Campos Mendonça ◽  
Patrick Gesualdi Haim ◽  
Carlos Guarino Werneck ◽  
Marisa Bezerra de Melo Monte

DISPONIBILIDADE DE ÁGUA E PRODUÇÃO DE ARROZEM FUNÇÃO DE DOSESDE CONCENTRADO ZEOLÍTICO  Alberto Carlos de Campos Bernardi1; Fernando Campos Mendonça1; Patrick Gesualdi Haim2; Carlos Guarino Werneck2; Marisa Bezerra de Melo Monte31Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste, São Carlos, SP, [email protected] Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, RJ3Centro de Tecnologias Minerais, Rio de Janeiro, RJ  1 RESUMO O uso de condicionadores no solo possibilita aumentar a capacidade de retenção de água e nutrientes dos solos arenosos. As zeólitas são minerais alumino-silicatos cristalinos hidratados, estruturados em redes tridimensionais rígidas e de ocorrência natural e que podem ser utilizados como condicionador natural do solo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de doses de um concentrado do mineral zeólita sobre a retenção de água de um Neossolo Quartzarênico e a produção do arroz em duas frequências de irrigação. Os tratamentos utilizados foram 4 níveis do concentrado zeolítico: testemunha, 33,3; 66,7 e 100,0 gkg-1 de solo. As plantas de arroz foram cultivadas com irrigação diária e com intervalos de um dia. Os resultados indicam que, com o uso do concentrado zeolítico, foi possível aumentar a retenção e disponibilidade de água no solo. Houve aumentos em relação à testemunha de 10, 38 e 67% na capacidade de água disponível (CAD) e de 15%; 51% e 111% na água facilmente disponível (AFD) para as doses de 33,3; 66,7 e 100,0 g kg-1. O crescimento e da produção de arroz aumentaram com a elevação da doses de concentrado zeolítico com um intervalo de um dia entre as irrigações. UNITERMOS: estilbita, curva de retenção de água, capacidade de água disponível, modelo de van Genuchten.  BERNARDI, A. C. de C.; MENDONÇA, F. C.; HAIM, P. G.; WERNECK, C. G.; MONTE, M. B. de M. WATER AVAILABILITY AND RICE YIELD DUE TO LEVELS OF ZEOLITIC CONCENTRATE  2 ABSTRACT The use of soil conditioners are an alternative to improve soil water and nutrient retention. Zeolites are hydrated crystalline aluminate-silicates structured in rigid three-dimensional nets with natural occurrence which can be used as a natural soil conditioner. The main objective of this research was evaluating the effect of levels of a mineral zeolite concentrate on the water retention and available water capacity of an Entisol (Sandyl/Quartzipsament) and the rice growth and yield in two irrigation frequencies. Treatments consisted of  4 levels of the zeolitic concentrate: control, 33.3; 66.7 and 100.0 gkg-1. Rice was grown with daily irrigation and one day interval. Results indicated that the zeolitic concentrate increased the water retention and availability of the sandy soil. Available water capacity increased 10, 38 and 67% and easily available water  increased 15, 51 and 111% in relation to the control, respectively, with the use of 33.3; 66.7 and 100.0 g kg-1. The highest levels of zeolite made possible the maintenance of the rice growth and the yield with a one-day interval between the irrigations. KEYWORDS: water retention curve, available water capacity, van Genuchten model.


2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Ghanbarian-Alavijeh ◽  
A M Liaghat

The soil water retention curve (SWRC) is one of the basic characteristics used in determining soil hydraulic properties, including unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. As its measurement is time consuming and difficult, much effort has been expended to develop indirect methods, such as pedotransfer functions and empirical relationships, to estimate SWRC. In this study, three methods were evaluated based on estimation of retention models parameters and, consequently, the soil water retention curve. For this purpose, soil data collected from three data bases, totaling 72 soil samples with 11 different textures, were used in this study. The statistical parameters such as: MR (mean of residual), RE (relative error), RMSE (root mean square error), AIC (Akaike’s information criterion) and GMER (geometric mean error ratio) showed that the Saxton et al. (1986) method estimates the soil water retention curve better than the other methods.Key words: Pedotransfer function, soil texture, soil water retention curve


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