scholarly journals The contribution of rock fragments to the available water content of stony soils: Proposition of new pedotransfer functions

Geoderma ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 165 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Tetegan ◽  
B. Nicoullaud ◽  
D. Baize ◽  
A. Bouthier ◽  
I. Cousin
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Pedotransfer Functions ◽  
Rock Fragments ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Available Water Content

scholarly journals Factors determining the soil available water during the last two decades (1997–2019) in southern Spain

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (19) ◽  
Author(s):  
José A. Sillero-Medina ◽  
Jesús Rodrigo-Comino ◽  
José D. Ruiz-Sinoga
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Southern Spain ◽  
Retention Capacity ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Hydrological Conditions ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Available Water Content ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Impact

AbstractAssessing soil hydrological conditions can provide essential information for understanding the environmental processes that affect ecosystem services and, particularly in the context of ongoing climate change. This is key in areas affected by water scarcity such as the Mediterranean belt. Therefore, the main goals of this research are (i) to assess the main rainfall dynamics and trends of some representative hotspots along with southern Spain and (ii) to determine the impact on the soil available water content (AWC) over the last two decades. An analysis of daily precipitation and soil hydrological conditions was combined with soil sampling (543) and laboratory analyses to evaluate the properties related to the soil infiltration and retention capacity. The results show that the organic factors control soil properties and their hydrodynamics in southern Spain. Furthermore, a general declining trend in soil water availability is observed over the last two decades. This is more extreme in arid and semi-arid areas, where there have been several years in the last decade with more than 200 days without the available water content. Moreover, in these areas, heavy rainfall during specific moments of the year is the key factor that manifests a greater incidence in areas with steeper slopes, which in turn, also conditions the biological factors and the hydrodynamics of the soil. In short, in the context of climate change, the analysis of soil hydrological dynamics could be used to identify biodiversity thresholds in the Mediterranean area and even to detect phenological changes in specific plant species.

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

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 ◽  
Water Holding

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.

scholarly journals Soil typologies in the wine-growing areas of Mallorca, with special emphasis on available water content.

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
pp. 01011
Author(s):  
Joan Rossello ◽  
José M. Escalona ◽  
Josep Cifre ◽  
Jaume Vadell ◽  
Hipólito Medrano
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Water Retention Capacity ◽  
Retention Capacity ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Available Water Content ◽  
Water Classification ◽  
Grape Varieties ◽  
Very High

Under the conditions of the semi-arid Mediterranean climate, soil depth and water retention capacity are the most important characteristics of the soil related to the quality of the wines. The availability of water will mark the development of the vines and the development and maturity of the grape. The characterization and agronomic evaluation of the soil has been carried out from the excavation of 38 soil pits in the main wine growing areas of Mallorca. Cambisols are the most predominant soil typology followed by Cambisols, Regosols and Luvisols. The water classification of the soils has been made according to the maximum water availability (useful water) in 2 m of soil (mm water / 2 m soil). The proposed levels are: very low (<120 mm), low (120-180 mm), Medium (180-240 mm), High (240-300 mm) and Very high> 300 (mm). The most abundant soil type we find that 47% have high soil water availability, 27% very high, 14% normal and 14% low. Establishing an area based on available water content is a tool that allows us to adjust the selection of the most suitable grape varieties in each soil, thus taking advantage more efficiently of the potential of each type of grape.

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