scholarly journals Investigating the impacts of biochar on water fluxes in tropical agriculture using stable isotopes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin M. C. Fischer ◽  
Laura Morillas ◽  
Johanna Rojas Conejo ◽  
Ricardo Sánchez-Murillo ◽  
Andrea Suárez Serrano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Upland Rice ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Soil Water Retention ◽  
Amended Soils ◽  
Rice Plants ◽  
Order Of Magnitude

Abstract. Amending soils with biochar, a pyrolyzed organic material, is an emerging practice to potentially increase plant available water. However, it is not clear (1) to what extent biochar amendments increase soil water storage relative to non-amended soils and (2) whether plants grown in biochar amended soils access different pools of water compared to those grown in non-amended soils. To investigate these questions, we set up an upland rice field experiment in a tropical seasonally dry region in Costa Rica, with plots treated with two different biochar amendments and control plots, from where we collected hydrometric and isotopic data (δ18O and δ2H from rain, soil, groundwater and rice plants). Our results show that the soil water retention curves for biochar treated soils shifted, indicating that rice plants had 2 % to 7 % more water available throughout the growing season relative to the control plots. In addition, we observed a within treatment variability in the soil water retention curves which was in the same order of magnitude as one would expect from responses due to differences in biochar application rates or due to differences in biochar typologies. The stable water isotope composition of plant water showed that the rice plants across all plots preferentially utilized the more variable soil water from the top 20 cm of the soil instead of using the deeper and less variable sources of water. Our results indicated that rice plants in biochar amended soils could access larger stores of water more consistently and thus could withstand dry spells of seven extra days relative to rice grown in non-treated soils. Though supplemental irrigation was required to facilitate plant growth during extended dry periods. Therefore, biochar amendments can complement, but not necessarily replace, other water management strategies.

scholarly journals Estimated soil water storage within a historical bunker during the growth period of vegetation

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Łukasz Pardela ◽  
Tomasz Kowalczyk
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Growth Period ◽  
Vegetation Period ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Soil Profiles ◽  
Soil Water Retention ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Volumetric Soil Moisture

AbstractThe objective of the study was to estimate the variation of soil water retention on the site of a historical bunker, an element of the former Wrocław Fortress in Poland. Measurements of soil moisture in the study area were taken in the period from March to September, 2017. Measurements of volumetric soil moisture were taken by means of a hand-held gauge, type FOM/mts with an FP/mts probe, operating on the basis of the reflectometric technique TDR. Soil moisture measurements realized in the vegetation period demonstrated that soil moisture resources in profiles situated in the section of the bunker varied within the range of 37–135 mm in the layer of 50 cm, and 66–203 mm in the layer of 100 cm. The maximum differences of the average value of soil moisture of the soil profiles studied in the period covered by the measurements were 31 mm and 56 mm, respectively. This indicates a significant differentiation of the retention properties of soils used for the construction of individual shelter areas.

scholarly journals Beneficial Effect of Biochar on Irrigated Dwarf-Green Coconut Tree

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Rubens Gondim ◽  
Aline Maia ◽  
Carlos Taniguchi ◽  
Celli Muniz ◽  
Tácito Almeida Araújo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Sprinkler Irrigation ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Soil Water Retention ◽  
Coconut Tree ◽  
Chemical Attributes

The coconut tree is considered one of the greatest consumers of irrigation water, ranging from 100 to 240 L day−1. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of biochar application on decreased irrigation water needs in a 2-year irrigated dwarf coconut palm orchard field experiment. Biochar was characterized chemically and by electron microscope images. Biochar morphology presented several micropores indicating water retention potential. Amounts of biochar were tested (0, 5, 10, 20, 40 g of biochar per kg of soil), representing 0.0; 0.5; 1.0; 2.0; and 4.0 kg per plant. Micro sprinkler irrigation started following the planting of the 90-day old hybrid dwarf coconut seedlings. The impacts of the application of the biochar on the chemical attributes of the soil, biometry of the coconut plants, water storage in the 0–0.3 m soil layer, and the volume of irrigation water required by treatment were evaluated. After two years (2017 and 2018), the application of the biochar resulted in no statistically significant differences in the chemical attributes of the soil and biometric variables of plants between different treatments. The volume of annual irrigation water per plant versus biochar quantity demonstrated a decreasing effect, due to the increase of soil water storage. The dose of 40 g of biochar per kg of soil presented the highest two-year average soil water retention (0–0.3 m layer) among treatments (34, 36, 34, 38, and 45 mm, respectively), resulting in lower 2-year irrigation water demand (28, 36, 29, 28 and 20 L plant−1 day−1, respectively).

scholarly journals Impacts of Wildfires on Hydrological Ecosystem Services

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
Nunes ◽  
Carvalho-Santos ◽  
Pastor
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Landscape Management ◽  
Mediterranean Forests ◽  
Soil Water Retention ◽  
Mediterranean Landscapes ◽  
Hydrological Services

Forest and natural landscapes are usually considered to provide increased hydrological services over agriculture due to increased vegetation cover. Natural vegetation is expected to protect soils against erosion, regulate floods by increasing litter and soil water retention and decreased sediment yield. Afforestation is therefore used to control floods and prevent soil degradation, and water supplies are usually taken from forested watersheds. In the second half of the XXth century, agricultural abandonment in the northern rim of the Mediterranean led to extensive afforestation and renaturalization, and Mediterranean landscapes are now assumed to provide more hydrological services than before. However, Mediterranean forests are also prone to wildfires, which destroy the vegetation cover, changes soil properties with decreased soil water retention and create a highly mobile ash layer which can contaminate streams. These impacts temporarily negate the hydrological ecosystem services forests normally provided; and in regions subjected to frequent and recurring fires, it is possible that the long-term service provisioning is severely impacted. Nevertheless, forest management strategies ranging from emergency post-fire stabilization measures to structural landscape management can help mitigate these issues and prevent ecosystem service disruptions in fire-prone forests. This presentation will address this issue from a Mediterranean perspective, starting with an overview of post-fire impacts and consequences, and presenting results for a humid Mediterranean fire-prone area.

INFLUENCE OF SOIL MATRIX ON SOIL-WATER RETENTION CURVE AND HYDRAULIC CHARACTERISTICS

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 869-877
Author(s):  
Vasile Lucian Pavel ◽  
Florian Statescu ◽  
Dorin Cotiu.ca-Zauca ◽  
Gabriela Biali ◽  
Paula Cojocaru
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Water Retention Curve ◽  
Hydraulic Characteristics ◽  
Soil Water Retention Curve ◽  
Soil Water Retention ◽  
Soil Matrix ◽  
Retention Curve

scholarly journals Carboxylated nanocellulose superabsorbent: Biodegradation and soil water retention properties

2021 ◽  
pp. 51495
Author(s):  
Ruth M. Barajas‐Ledesma ◽  
Vanessa N. L. Wong ◽  
Karen Little ◽  
Antonio F. Patti ◽  
Gil Garnier
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Soil Water Retention ◽  
Water Retention Properties

scholarly journals The Mechanical Impact of Water Affected the Soil Physical Quality of a Loam Soil under Minimum Tillage and No-Tillage: An Assessment Using Beerkan Multi-Height Runs and BEST-Procedure

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirko Castellini ◽  
Anna Maria Stellacci ◽  
Danilo Sisto ◽  
Massimo Iovino
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Soil Water Retention ◽  
Physical Quality ◽  
Soil Physical Quality ◽  
Loam Soil ◽  
The Impact

The multi-height (low, L = 3 cm; intermediate, M = 100 cm; high, H = 200 cm) Beerkan run methodology was applied on both a minimum tilled (MT) (i.e., up to a depth of 30 cm) and a no-tilled (NT) bare loam soil, and the soil water retention curve was estimated by the BEST-steady algorithm. Three indicators of soil physical quality (SPQ), i.e., macroporosity (Pmac), air capacity (AC) and relative field capacity (RFC) were calculated to assess the impact of water pouring height under alternative soil management practices. Results showed that, compared to the reference low run, M and H runs affected both the estimated soil water retention curves and derived SPQ indicators. Generally, M–H runs significantly reduced the mean values of Pmac and AC and increased RFC for both MT and NT soil management practices. According to the guidelines for assessment of SPQ, the M and H runs: (i) worsened Pmac classification of both MT and NT soils; (ii) did not worsen AC classification, regardless of soil management parameters; (iii) worsened RFC classification of only NT soil, as a consequence of insufficient soil aeration. For both soil management techniques, a strong negative correlation was found between the Pmac and AC values and the gravitational potential energy, Ep, of the water used for the infiltration runs. A positive correlation was detected between RFC and Ep. The relationships were plausible from a soil physics point of view. NT soil has proven to be more resilient than MT. This study contributes toward testing simple and robust methods capable of quantifying soil degradation effects, due to intense rainfall events, under different soil management practices in the Mediterranean environment.

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