Amorphous silica increases the water holding capacity of soils – from mechanistic understanding to field experiments

A main problem currently facing agriculture is drought. More frequent and longer drought periods are predicted to threaten agricultural yields in future. The capacity of soils to hold water is a highly important factor controlling drought stress intensity for plants during the growing phase. Amorphous silica (ASi) has been suggested to be able to mitigate these problems. Amorphous silica pools in natural soils are in the range of 0-6%. However, ASi pools have declined in agricultural soils since the development of high intensity agriculture to values of <1% due to yearly crop harvests, decreasing the water holding capacity of the soils. Here, we analyzed the effect of ASi on the water holding capacity (WHC) of soils. ASi was mixed at varying rates with different soils. Afterwards, the retention curve of the soils was determined. Here we show that ASi increases the soil water holding capacity substantially, by forming silica gels with a water content at soil saturation higher than 700%. An increase of ASi by 1% or 5% (weight) increased the water content at all studied water potentials and plant available water increased by >40% and >60%, respectively. In a lysimeter experiment we found that ASi strongly increased the WHC of soils, too. In a field experiment we found an increase of soil moisture after ASi fertilization over the whole growing season. Furthermore, wheat plant grown in this field experiment suffered less from drought and had a later onset of senescence. Our results suggest that ASi is a main control on soil water availability, potentially decreases drought stress for plants in future.

Amorphous silica increases the water holding capacity and the phosphorus mobility in soils - solving the two main problems of agriculture

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-6926 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jörg Schaller ◽

Benjamin Gilfedder ◽

Sven Frei

Keyword(s):

Drought Stress ◽

Water Content ◽

Amorphous Silica ◽

Solid Phase ◽

Phosphorus Availability ◽

Water Holding Capacity ◽

Silica Gels ◽

Pore Waters ◽

Lysimeter Experiment ◽

The two primary problems currently facing agriculture are drought and the availability of mineable phosphorus minerals used for fertilization. More frequent and longer drought periods are predicted to threaten agricultural yields in future. The capacity of soils to hold water is a highly important factor controlling drought stress intensity for plants during the growing phase. High phosphorus availability in soils is necessary for high agricultural yield. For both drought and phosphorus availability in soils amorphous silica (ASi) has been suggested to be able to mitigate these problems. Amorphous silica pools in natural soils are in the range of 0-6%. However ASi pools have declined in agricultural soils since the development of high intensity agriculture to values of <1% due to yearly crop harvests, decreasing water the holding capacity of the soils. Here, we analyzed the effect of ASi on the water holding capacity (WHC) of soil and how the ASi effects the mobilization of phosphorus. &#160;ASi was mixed at varying rates with different soils. Afterwards, the retention curve of the soils was determined. Here we show that ASi increases the soil water holding capacity substantially, by forming silica gels with a water content at soil saturation higher than 700%. An increase of ASi by 1% or 5% (weight) increased the water content at all studied water potentials and plant available water increased by >40% and >60%, respectively. Additionally, we fertilized soils with ASi and measured phosphorus mobilization from the solid phase into the soil pore waters. We found a strong mobilization of phosphorus by ASi. In a lysimeter experiment we found that ASi strongly increased the WHC of soils. Furthermore, as expected from the batch experiments the ASi is decreased phosphorus sorption to soil minerals and consequently increased its mobilization. Our results suggest that ASi addition to soils enhances the water availability, potentially decreases drought stress for plants as well as increasing phosphorus mobility in soil of terrestrial ecosystems.

Effects of water deficit on the growth and yield formation of maize (Zea mays L.)

Acta Agraria Debreceniensis ◽

10.34101/actaagrar/72/1606 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 143-148

Author(s):

Mahama Salifu

Keyword(s):

Water Content ◽

Soil Water ◽

Soil Water Content ◽

Water Deficit ◽

Crop Production ◽

Water Holding Capacity ◽

Field Soil ◽

The World ◽

Maize (Zea mays L.) is the most important consuming cereal crop in the world after rice and wheat. This requires an understanding of various management practices as well as conditions that affect maize crop performance. Water deficit stress during crop production is one of the most serious threats to crop production in most parts of the world and drought stress or water deficit is an inevitable and recurring feature of global agriculture and it is against this background that field study of crops response to water deficit is very important to crop producer and researchers to maximize yield and improve crop production in this era of unpredicted climatic changes the world over.A pot experiment was carried out to determine the effects of water deficit on growth and yield formation of maize. Two maize cultivars were used Xundan20 and Zhongdan5485. Three levels of soil water content were used in two stages of water control levels at two stages of the maize plant development1. The JOINTING STAGE: A. CONTROL (CK) soil water content: from 70% to 80% of soil water holding capacity at the field, soil water content: from 55% to 65% of soil water holding capacity at the field, soil water content: from 40% to 50% of the Soil water holding capacity at the field.2. The BIG FLARE PERIOD: A. CONTROL (CK) soil water content: from 75% to 85% of soil water holding capacity at the field, soil water content: from 58% to 68% of soil water holding capacity at the field, soil water content: from 45% to 55% of the soil water holding capacity at the field.This research mainly studied the effects of water deficit on physiological, morphology and the agronomical characteristics of the maize plant at the different water stress levels.The importance of these results in this experiment will enable plant producers to focus and have a fair idea as to which stage of the maize plant’s development that much attention must be given to in terms of water supply.

Drought stress application for smaller plants based on soil water holding capacity v1 (protocols.io.bvfhn3j6)

protocols.io ◽

10.17504/protocols.io.bvfhn3j6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Magdalena not provided

Keyword(s):

Drought Stress ◽

Soil Water ◽

Water Holding Capacity ◽

Stress Application ◽

Use of marble sludge and biochar to improve soil water retention capacity

Spanish Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.3232/sjss.2018.v8.n1.08 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Jerónimo Salinas ◽

Inés García ◽

Fernando del Moral ◽

Mariano Simón

Keyword(s):

Water Content ◽

Soil Water ◽

Volumetric Water Content ◽

Water Holding Capacity ◽

Water Retention Capacity ◽

Soil Water Retention ◽

Retention Capacity ◽

Lettuce Seedling ◽

Water Holding ◽

Marble Sludge

Agriculture and mining are the most important economic activities in the province of Almería (SE Spain) and generate large amounts of waste. Almería is one of the driest regions in Europe, and its water resources come mainly from groundwater. The high water consumption of greenhouses (between 5000 and 6000 m3 ha-1 y-1) has resulted in a sharp decline of water table levels and a worsening of water quality. Therefore, it is necessary to implement actions that lead to the more efficient use of irrigation water. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two waste types (marble sludge and biochar from greenhouse plant debris) on the soil water holding capacity. Three treatments were performed in pots using two of the most common soils in greenhouses. A lettuce seedling was planted in each pot, and the volumetric water content was periodically controlled. The first treatment contained 600 g of soil, the second treatment contained 200 g of marble sludge at the bottom and 400 g of soil on the surface, and the third treatment contained 150 g of marble sludge at the bottom, 50 g of biochar in the middle and 400 g of soil on the surface. The results showed that the use of marble sludge, biochar and the combination of both waste types increased water holding capacity. The volumetric water content was relatively high for a longer time, allowing for a reduction in watering frequency and enabling more efficient water use. The waste applications were most effective in the soil with a thicker texture and lower evaporation rate.

The Effect of Dry Pegging Zone Soil on Pod Formation of Florunner Peanut1

Peanut Science ◽

10.3146/i0095-3679-24-1-6 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 19-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

P. J. Sexton ◽

J. M. Bennett ◽

K. J. Boote

Keyword(s):

Drought Stress ◽

Water Content ◽

Soil Water ◽

Soil Water Content ◽

Water Deficit ◽

Growth Rates ◽

Root Zone ◽

Soil Water Deficit ◽

Seed Growth ◽

Pod Development

Abstract Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) fruit growth is sensitive to surface soil (0-5 cm) conditions due to its subterranean fruiting habit. This study was conducted to determine the effect of soil water content in the pegging zone (0-5 cm) on peanut pod growth rate and development. A pegging-pan-root-tube apparatus was used to separately control soil water content in the pegging and root zone for greenhouse trials. A field study also was conducted using portable rainout shelters to create a soil water deficit. Pod phenology, pod and seed growth rates, and final pod and seed dry weights were determined. In greenhouse studies, dry pegging zone soil delayed pod and seed development. In the field, soil water deficits in the pegging and root zone decreased pod and seed growth rates by approximately 30% and decreased weight per seed from 563 to 428 mg. Pegs initiating growth during drought stress demonstrated an ability to suspend development during the period of soil water deficit and to re-initiate pod development after the drought stress was relieved.

Indicators of the water regime of some varieties of chrysanthemums in the conditions of the South Ural

Samara Journal of Science ◽

10.17816/snv2021101108 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 57-64

Author(s):

Svetlana Galimullovna Denisova ◽

Antonina Anatolyevna Reut

Keyword(s):

Water Content ◽

Water Deficit ◽

Water Regime ◽

Water Holding Capacity ◽

Research Centre ◽

Total Water Content ◽

Total Water ◽

The South ◽

Irreversible Damage ◽

In introduction studies, it is of great importance to determine how favorable the water balance of the studied species is under given environmental conditions. The aim of the research was to study the water regime of some varieties of chrysanthemums in the conditions of the Southern Ural. The study was conducted in 20182020 on the basis of the South-Ural Botanical Garden-Institute of the Ufa Federal Research Centre of Russian Academy of Sciences. The objects of the study were 23 varieties of Chrysanthemum hortorum Bailey. In the course of the research, the total water content, water-holding capacity, the content of mobile moisture, water deficit, and sublethal water deficit were determined. The analysis of water regime indicators is based on the method of artificial wilting (V.N. Tarenkov, L.N. Ivanova) and the method of saturation of plant samples (V.P. Moiseev, N.P. Reshetsky). Sublethal water deficit was determined by the method of T.K. Goryshina, L.I. Samsonova, modified by N.I. Bobrovskaya. The calculations were carried out by standard methods using statistical packages of the Microsoft Excel 2003 and the Agros 2.13 program. The studies made it possible to determine the value of the sublethal water deficit (28,4%) for the varieties of chrysanthemums in the conditions of the Bashkir Ural. It was found that the studied varieties during the growing season did not experience such a moisture deficit in the tissues that could lead to irreversible damage to the assimilating organs. Our experiments showed that chrysanthemum varieties in the Bashkir Cis-Ural under the same soil-climatic and agrotechnical conditions had the following range of indicators of total water content 70,090,4% and water-holding capacity 19,0064,6%. The analysis of variance revealed significant differences between water-holding capacity and the content of mobile moisture by varieties, the share of influence was 27,8531,71%. As a result of the correlation-regression analysis, the authors revealed a direct dependence of the indicators of mobile moisture content on the total water content, and an inverse one on the indicators of the content of mobile moisture and water-holding capacity.

Functional Properties of Adlay Flour (Coix lacryma-jobi L. var. Ma-yuen) Resulting from Modified Durations of Fermentation Using Rhizopus oligosporus

International Journal on Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources ◽

10.46676/ij-fanres.v2i2.32 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Ardiyan Dwi Masahid ◽

Maria Belgis ◽

Helyas Vintan Agesti

Keyword(s):

Protein Content ◽

Water Content ◽

Functional Properties ◽

Fat Content ◽

Ash Content ◽

Carbohydrate Content ◽

Water Holding Capacity ◽

Rhizopus Oligosporus ◽

Swelling Power ◽

Adlay is a nutritious grain that has the potential as an alternative food because it has a high protein and fat content of 14.10% and 7.90%, respectively. The use of Adlay as flour still has a weakness, namely the functional properties of Adlay flour such as low swelling power. One way to improve the characteristics of Adlay flour is by fermentation using Rhizopus oligosporus. The fermentation duration is the time that allows changes in the characteristics of the flour due to the fermentation. This study aims to determine the effect of differences in fermentation duration using Rhizopus oligosporus on the physical, chemical, and functional characteristics of Adlay flour produced from fermented Adlay seeds. This study used one factor, namely the lengths of fermentation for 0, 12, 24, 30, 36 and 48 hours. The analysis in this study included whiteness, yield, pH, water content, ash content, protein content, fat content, carbohydrate content, swelling power and solubility, oil holding capacity (OHC) and water holding capacity (WHC). The results have shown that the longer the fermentation duration the lower rate of whiteness, pH, yield, water content, fat content, and carbohydrate content will become, while some functional properties of Adlay flour become better with increasing values of ash content, protein content, swelling power, solubility, Oil Holding Capacity (OHC), and Water Holding Capacity (WHC).

Quantification of Available Water Capacity Comparing Standard Methods and a Pedostructure Method on a Weakly Structured Soil

Transactions of the ASABE ◽

10.13031/trans.13073 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 62 (2) ◽

pp. 289-301

Author(s):

Amjad T. Assi ◽

Rabi H. Mohtar ◽

Erik F. Braudeau ◽

Cristine L. S. Morgan

Keyword(s):

Water Content ◽

Soil Water ◽

Field Capacity ◽

Soil Aggregate ◽

Pedotransfer Functions ◽

Water Retention Curve ◽

Aggregate Structure ◽

Standard Methods ◽

Available Water ◽

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.

Comparison of three models fitting the soil water retention curves in a degraded alpine meadow region

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-54449-8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Tao Pan ◽

Shuai Hou ◽

Yujie Liu ◽

Qinghua Tan

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Water Retention ◽

Alpine Meadow ◽

Soil Depth ◽

Water Holding Capacity ◽

Curve Shape ◽

Soil Water Retention ◽

Water Holding ◽

Gardner Model

AbstractSoil water retention curve (SWRC) plays an important role in simulating soil water movement and assessing soil water holding capacity and availability. Comparison of fitness between different models to determine the best SWRC model of specific regions is required. In this study, three popular models, van Genuchten, Brooks Corey and Gardner model, were selected for comparing in a degraded alpine meadow region on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Fitness, error distribution along with key parameters were compared. For each soil horizon, the soil moisture content at all soil water potentials decreased consistently with degradation, thereby integrally moving the SWRCs of all soil depths downward with degradation. The differences in SWRCs across various degradation degrees diminished along with soil depth and soil water potential. The Adj.r2 values of van Genuchten, Brooks Corey and Gardner models ranged in 0.971–0.995, 0.958–0.997, and 0.688–0.909, respectively. The van Genuchten and Brooks Corey models significantly (p < 0.05) outperformed the Gardner model, and have no significant differences in fitness. The fitness of all three models showed no significant changes with degradation. Regardless of degradation degree and soil depth, the fitting error of van Genuchten and Brooks Corey models was mainly distributed in the higher (from –100 hPa to –500 hPa) and lower (below –10000 hPa) potential sections. With regard to the parameters of van Genuchten and Brooks Corey models, the field capacity (θs), and permanent wilting moisture were highly coherent with Adj.r2 values of higher than 0.98, while the curve shape parameter (θr), and air entry pressure of the Brooks Corey model were much lower than those of the van Genuchten model with Adj.r2 values of lower than 0.91. The SWRCs with varying degrees of degradation are best fitted by both van Genuchten and Brooks Corey models but cannot be fitted by Gardner model. Soil water holding capacity decreased with degradation especially in the top soil (0 cm to 30 cm), but the curve shape of all SWRCs did not change significantly with degradation.

Analysis of soil and vegetation patterns in semi-arid Mediterranean landscapes by way of a conceptual water balance model

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-12-899-2008 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 899-911 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

I. Portoghese ◽

V. Iacobellis ◽

M. Sivapalan

Keyword(s):

Water Balance ◽

Soil Water ◽

Water Holding Capacity ◽

Sensitivity Analyses ◽

Vegetation Types ◽

Study Region ◽

Mediterranean Landscapes ◽

Water Holding ◽

Semi Arid

Abstract. This paper investigates the impact of various vegetation types on water balance variability in semi-arid Mediterranean landscapes, and the different strategies they may have developed to succeed in such water-limited environments. The existence of preferential associations between soil water holding capacity and vegetation species is assessed through an extensive soil geo-database focused on a study region in Southern Italy. Water balance constraints that dominate the organization of landscapes are investigated by a conceptual bucket approach. The temporal water balance dynamics are modelled, with vegetation water use efficiency being parameterized through the use of empirically obtained crop coefficients as surrogates of vegetation behavior in various developmental stages. Sensitivity analyses with respect to the root zone depth and soil water holding capacity are carried out with the aim of explaining the existence of preferential soil-vegetation associations and, hence, the spatial distribution of vegetation types within the study region. Based on these sensitivity analyses the degrees of suitability and adaptability of each vegetation type to parts of the study region are explored with respect of the soil water holding capacity, and the model results were found consistent with the observed affinity patterns.