Stock change of soil moisture under crop cultivation: A relevant and low cost indicator to assess hydrological performance of agricultural land use systems in Tigray, northern Ethiopia.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Kraaijvanger
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Agricultural Land Use ◽  
Stock Change

<p>In the highlands of Tigray both crop yield and soil erosion are important concerns. At the same time the impact of climate change is felt in the form of delayed and more erratic rains. Different adaptation strategies are proposed to increase resilience. The successful implementation of most of these strategies, like for example, agroforestry, conservation tillage and water harvesting, heavily relies on improved infiltration and the amount of water stored in the root zone. In this presentation the water storage in the root zone is discussed in relation to crop productivity and hydrological performance of the local (agricultural) land use system. For this purpose measurements of (gravimetric) soil moisture content, taken at different depths in the root zone and at regular time intervals during four growing seasons in the period 2010-2013, were considered. In total 43 sites were involved, which were measured for one up to three years. In addition to soil moisture content, at selected sites also bulk density, saturation, field capacity and wilting point were determined. On the basis of the data collected, site-specific changes in soil moisture budgets were analyzed and trends observed were related to crop productivity and hydrological parameters (like rainfall and evapotranspiration). First outcomes pointed to a relatively rapid increase of soil moisture stock at the start of the growing season, followed by a more or less stable level, and ending at crop maturation with a very rapid decrease. Typical figures for gravimetric moisture content at the stable level were between 25 and 30 %. Soil depth was in most cases shallow (around 40 cm) and likely limiting moisture storage capacity. Assuming that at the start of the stable phase rainfall still is exceeding evapotranspiration, this then will point to a relatively high risk for run off at this stage. Stock change of soil moisture as such appears a relevant and low cost indicator to assess hydrological performance of land use systems in terms of infiltration capacity and soil moisture availability. In line with that, analysis of stock change of soil moisture might provide relevant clues for designing and optimizing effective land management strategies that successfully deal with erosion hazard and result in a more resilient and sustainable production of food crops.</p>

scholarly journals Designing Low-Cost Capacitive-Based Soil Moisture Sensor and Smart Monitoring Unit Operated by Solar Cells for Greenhouse Irrigation Management

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (16) ◽  
pp. 5387
Author(s):  
Abdelaziz M. Okasha ◽  
Hasnaa G. Ibrahim ◽  
Adel H. Elmetwalli ◽  
Khaled Mohamed Khedher ◽  
Zaher Mundher Yaseen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
Moisture Sensor ◽  
Soil Moisture Sensor ◽  
Soil Moisture Sensors

Precise and quick estimates of soil moisture content for the purpose of irrigation scheduling are fundamentally important. They can be accomplished through the continuous monitoring of moisture content in the root zone area, which can be accomplished through automatic soil moisture sensors. Commercial soil moisture sensors are still expensive to be used by famers, particularly in developing countries, such as Egypt. This research aimed to design and calibrate a locally manufactured low-cost soil moisture sensor attached to a smart monitoring unit operated by Solar Photo Voltaic Cells (SPVC). The designed sensor was evaluated on clay textured soils in both lab and controlled greenhouse environments. The calibration results demonstrated a strong correlation between sensor readings and soil volumetric water content (θV). Higher soil moisture content was associated with decreased sensor output voltage with an average determination coefficient (R2) of 0.967 and a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 0.014. A sensor-to-sensor variability test was performed yielding a 0.045 coefficient of variation. The results obtained from the real conditions demonstrated that the monitoring system for real-time sensing of soil moisture and environmental conditions inside the greenhouse could be a robust, accurate, and cost-effective tool for irrigation management.

Combined use of Sentinel SAR and optical data for soil moisture estimation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Graldi ◽  
Simone Bignotti ◽  
Marco Bezzi ◽  
Alfonso Vitti
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Physiological State ◽  
European Space Agency ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
Optical Data ◽  
Agricultural Land Use ◽  
Mountainous Area

<p>This work investigates the performance of two soil moisture retrieval methods using optical and radar satellite data. The study was conducted in areas with predominant agricultural land use since soil moisture is one of the parameters of interest in a wider study for water resource optimization in agricultural practices such as irrigation scheduling.<br>The two methods considered are based on the identification of changes in the investigated parameter between two acquisition dates. The implemented methods have been applied to study areas characterized by different orographic complexity and land use heterogeneity. Data from the European Space Agency (ESA) Sentinel 1 and Sentinel 2 missions were used, and results were validated with field measurements from the International Soil Moisture Network (ISMN).<br>At first, the methods were applied in a mountainous area of an irrigation consortium in Trentino (Italy), where the results pointed out the complexity of the study and the limitations of the current models in these contexts. Factors such as orographic complexity, type and physiological state of crops make the reduction of SAR data particularly complex to model.<br>The methods were then tested in a simpler orographic context such as that of the Po Valley in Bologna (Italy), also characterized by agricultural land use.<br>Finally, the methods were applied in a lowland with agricultural vocation located in Spain, for which an extended archive of soil moisture measurements distributed by the ISMN is available. In this context, the models were analyzed and were evaluated both functional and parametric adjustments of the models on the basis of the previous case studies.<br>Some of the results obtained are of high quality, while others highlight the complexity of the problem faced and the need for further investigation: increasing the number of case studies and using optical or SAR vegetation index different from the mainly used NDVI, could enhanced the models used for soil moisture retrieval.</p>

scholarly journals Spatial-Temporal Simulations of Soil Moisture Content in a Large Basin of the Loess Plateau, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Zhiqi Wang ◽  
Xiaobo Feng ◽  
Zhihong Yao ◽  
Zhaolong Ma ◽  
Guodong Ji
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Slope Aspect ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Basin Scale

Soil moisture is a crucial factor limiting the growth and survival of plants on the Loess Plateau. Its level has a severe impact on plants’ growth and development and the type and distribution characteristics of communities. This study area is the Jihe Basin in the Loess Plateau, China. Multiple linear regression models with different environmental variables (land use, topographic and meteorological factors, etc.) were developed to simulate soil moisture’s spatial and temporal changes by integrating field experiments, indoor analysis, and GIS spatial analysis. The model performances were evaluated in the Jihe Basin, with soil moisture content measurements. The result shows that soil moisture content is positively correlated with soil bulk density, monthly rainfall, topographic wetness index, land use coefficient, and slope aspect coefficient but negatively correlated with the monthly-averaged temperature and the relative elevation coefficient. The selected variables are all related to the soil moisture content and can account for 75% of the variations of soil moisture content, and the remaining 25% of the variations are related to other factors. Comparing the simulated and measured values at all sampling points shows that the average error of all the simulated values is 0.09, indicating that the simulation has high accuracy. The spatial distribution of soil moisture content is significantly affected by land use and topographic factors, and seasonal variation is remarkable in the year. Seasonal variation of soil moisture content is determined by the seasonal variation of rainfall and the air temperature (determining evaporation) and vegetation growth cycle. Therefore, the proposed model can simulate the spatial and temporal variation of soil moisture content and support developing the soil and water loss model on a basin scale.

scholarly journals The effect of rainfall and extensive use of grasslands on water regime

2011 ◽  
Vol 48 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 89-95
Author(s):  
R. Duffková
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Water Regime ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Water Runoff ◽  
Botanical Composition ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Determinant Factor

 Water regimes of extensively used grasslands (one cut per year, two cuts per year, no cut, mulching) were determined and compared by drainage lysimeters in 1998–2000. Although the botanical composition and yields of experimental swards were different, there was no statistically significant difference in their water regime (only the soil moisture content of no-cut variant was significantly higher than in other variants). A determinant factor for the water regime of grasslands (GR) is the sum of rainfall over the growing season while the GR water regime is influenced by land use immediately after the cut. Water runoff from the soil profile 0.0–0.60 m (water supply to the groundwater level) was found to be negligible in the growing season, a substantial groundwater recharge occurs in an off-season period and/or at the beginning of growing season. Mulching was not proved to reduce evaporation. The best type of management providing for the economical water regime appears to be a one-cut variant. Relationships between botanical composition and GR water regime are also described.

scholarly journals Laboratory Measurements of Subsurface Spatial Moisture Content by Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) Diffraction and Reflection Imaging of Agricultural Soils

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omer Shamir ◽  
Naftaly Goldshleger ◽  
Uri Basson ◽  
Moshe Reshef
Keyword(s):  
Dielectric Constant ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Soil Type ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Effective Dielectric Constant ◽  
Agricultural Practice ◽  
Ground Penetrating

Soil moisture content (SMC) down to the root zone is a major factor for the efficient cultivation of agricultural crops, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Precise SMC can maximize crop yields (both quality and quantity), prevent crop damage, and decrease irrigation expenses and water waste, among other benefits. This study focuses on the subsurface spatial electromagnetic mapping of physical properties, mainly moisture content, using a ground-penetrating radar (GPR). In the laboratory, GPR measurements were carried out using an 800 MHz central-frequency antenna and conducted in soil boxes with loess soil type (calcic haploxeralf) from the northern Negev, hamra soil type (typic rhodoxeralf) from the Sharon coastal plain, and grumusol soil type (typic chromoxerets) from the Jezreel valley, Israel. These measurements enabled highly accurate, close-to-real-time evaluations of physical soil qualities (i.e., wave velocity and dielectric constant) connected to SMC. A mixture model based mainly on soil texture, porosity, and effective dielectric constant (permittivity) was developed to measure the subsurface spatial volumetric soil moisture content (VSMC) for a wide range of moisture contents. The analysis of the travel times for GPR reflection and diffraction waves enabled calculating electromagnetic velocities, effective dielectric constants, and spatial SMC under laboratory conditions, where the required penetration depth is low (root zone). The average VSMC was determined with an average accuracy of ±1.5% and was correlated to a standard oven-drying method, making this spatial method useful for agricultural practice and for the design of irrigation plans for different interfaces.

Soil water relations and relative turgidity on leaves in the wheat crop

1966 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 269 ◽  
Author(s):  
RA Fischer ◽  
GD Kohn
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Moisture Stress ◽  
Flowering Plant ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Plant Moisture

Trials were conducted in 1961 and 1962 at Wagga in southern New South Wales to investigate the yield physiology of the wheat crop. Various cultural treatments were applied to a single variety (Heron). The increases in evapotranspiration and associated reductions in total soil moisture content caused by early sowing, by heavier fertilizer applications, and to a lesser extent by a heavier rate of sowing were reflected in an increased plant moisture stress (reduced leaf relative turgidity) at a given time in the spring. At a given stage of development, however, relative turgidity was not much affected by time of sowing, and in fact post-flowering plant moisture stress increased with later sowing. There were only small treatment effects on the estimated depth and density of rooting. Relatively little water was extracted by crops from below 40 in.; dense crops reduced the soil moisture content throughout the root zone to less than the –15 bar value. Leaf relative turgidity at sunrise showed a consistent inverse relationship to soil moisture content in the root zone. Leaf turgidity (sunrise) was maintained at 100% until root zone moisture levels approached the –15 bar value.

scholarly journals IMPACT OF CANAL RESTRUCTURING ON AGRICULTURAL LAND USE IN 23 DOWN HAIDERGARH CANAL COMMAND SYSTEM, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA

2019 ◽  
Vol XLII-3/W6 ◽  
pp. 345-350
Author(s):  
P. K. Yadav ◽  
P. Singh ◽  
N. Kumar ◽  
R. K. Upadhyay ◽  
S. P. S. Jadaun
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Land Development ◽  
Uttar Pradesh ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Agricultural Land Use ◽  
Rabi Season ◽  
Canal System ◽  
Gangetic Plain ◽  
Canal Command

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> The 23 Down Haidergarh Canal command system of Uttar Pradesh is situated in Indo-Gangetic Plain of India. It has huge potential of crop productivity. The canal system was unlined; due to which a huge amount of water waste as seepage, which results, waterlogging and sodic land development. This leads reduction in the productivity of crop land. To overcome with this problem government started the restructuring/lining of canal in 23 Down Haidergarh canal command system.The present study was an attempt to find out the changes in agricultural land of rabi season because during rabi season canal is important source of irrigation in 23 Down Haidergarh canal command system. Remote sensing and GIS techniques were used to monitor the changes after the restructuring of canal system. The LISS-III data (Linear Imaging Self-Scanner) of Rabi season for the year 2011&amp;ndash;12 and 2017&amp;ndash;18 was used for mapping of agricultural land use changes in rabi season for 23 Down Haidergarh canal command system. This study is useful to find out the change in agricultural land after the restructuring of canal command system.</p>

scholarly journals Plant residue mulch increases measured and modelled soil moisture content in the effective root zone of maize in semi-arid Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 209 ◽  
pp. 104945
Author(s):  
J. Tuure ◽  
M. Räsänen ◽  
M. Hautala ◽  
P. Pellikka ◽  
P.S.A. Mäkelä ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Plant Residue ◽  
Semi Arid
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