scholarly journals Mulching Measures Improve Soil Moisture in Rain-Fed Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) Orchards in the Loess Hilly Region of China

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 610
Author(s):  
Min Tang ◽  
Hongchen Li ◽  
Chao Zhang ◽  
Xining Zhao ◽  
Xiaodong Gao ◽  
...  

Water shortage is the main bottleneck restricting the sustainable development of rain-fed jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) orchards in the loess hilly region of China. Given the effect of mulching on soil moisture conservation, straw mulching (SM) and jujube branch mulching (BM) were applied to a rain-fed jujube orchard in this study. Soil moisture dynamics, soil water storage, water consumption, and soil moisture attenuation after typical rainfall under SM, BM, and clean tillage (CT) were studied. The results showed the following: (1) The 0–60 cm soil layer was the seasonal fluctuation layer of soil moisture under SM, BM, and CT in both the normal precipitation year and the dry year studied. The moisture contents of the 0–60, 60–160, and 160–280 cm soil layers under SM and BM were higher than that under CT in the three experimental years studied, and SM showed the most obvious effect of increasing soil moisture. (2) SM and BM showed a significant soil water storage effect in all of the jujube growth stages, and SM had a better water storage effect than BM. (3) SM reduced the amount of water consumption by 94.3, 60.8, and 121.3 mm compared to CT in the whole jujube growth period in 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively. The amount of water consumption of BM decreased by 34.8 and 31.0 mm compared to that of CT in the whole growth period in 2014 and 2015, respectively. (4) CT had the maximum soil moisture loss rate under continuous drought after rainfall. The soil moisture loss rate of CT was above 37.3% on the eleventh day after typical rainfall in 2014, 2015, and 2016. With the extension of drought, the soil moisture loss rate under SM increased slowly. This study suggests that SM is the best mulching measure for rain-fed jujube orchards, and pruned jujube branches can also be used for in situ mulching to obtain a certain moisture conservation effect.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Tang ◽  
Hongchen Li ◽  
Chao Zhang ◽  
Xining Zhao ◽  
Xiaodong Gao ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundWater shortage is the main bottleneck restricting the healthy and sustainable development of rain-fed jujube orchards in the loess hilly region of China. Given the functions of mulching on soil moisture conservation, evaporation reduction, and water use efficiency improvement, maize straw mulching (SM) and pruned jujube branch mulching (BM) were applied to rain-fed jujube orchards in this study. Soil moisture dynamics, soil water storage, water consumption, and soil moisture attenuation after typical rainfall under SM, BM, and clean tillage (CT) were systematically studied. Results(1) The 0-60 cm soil layer was the seasonal fluctuation layer of soil moisture under SM, BM, and CT in both the normal precipitation year and the dry year. The 0-60, 60-160, and 160-280 cm soil layers under CT all obtained the lowest soil moisture content in the three experimental years. The soil moisture content of each soil layer under SM and BM was higher than that under CT, and SM showed the most obvious effect of increasing soil moisture. (2) SM and BM showed significant soil water storage effect in all the jujube growth stages in both the normal precipitation year and the dry year, and SM had a better water storage effect than BM. (3) SM and BM reduced the water consumption amount in each jujube growth stage. SM reduced water consumption amount by 94.3, 60.8, and 121.3 mm compared with CT in the whole growth period of jujube in 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively. The water consumption amount of BM decreased by 34.8 mm and 31.0 mm respectively compared with that of CT in the whole growth period in 2014 and 2015. (4) CT had the maximum soil moisture loss rate under continuous drought after rainfall. The soil moisture loss rate of CT was above 37.3% on the eleventh day after the typical rainfall in 2014, 2015, and 2016. With the extension of drought, the soil moisture loss rate under SM increased slowly, while it increased rapidly under CT. ConclusionThis study suggests that straw mulching is the best mulching measure for rain-fed jujube orchards, and the pruned jujube branches can also be used for in-situ mulching, which can also obtain a certain moisture conservation effect.


Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Tomás de Figueiredo ◽  
Ana Caroline Royer ◽  
Felícia Fonseca ◽  
Fabiana Costa de Araújo Schütz ◽  
Zulimar Hernández

The European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative Soil Moisture (ESA CCI SM) product provides soil moisture estimates from radar satellite data with a daily temporal resolution. Despite validation exercises with ground data that have been performed since the product’s launch, SM has not yet been consistently related to soil water storage, which is a key step for its application for prediction purposes. This study aimed to analyse the relationship between soil water storage (S), which was obtained from soil water balance computations with ground meteorological data, and soil moisture, which was obtained from radar data, as affected by soil water storage capacity (Smax). As a case study, a 14-year monthly series of soil water storage, produced via soil water balance computations using ground meteorological data from northeast Portugal and Smax from 25 mm to 150 mm, were matched with the corresponding monthly averaged SM product. Linear (I) and logistic (II) regression models relating S with SM were compared. Model performance (r2 in the 0.8–0.9 range) varied non-monotonically with Smax, with it being the highest at an Smax of 50 mm. The logistic model (II) performed better than the linear model (I) in the lower range of Smax. Improvements in model performance obtained with segregation of the data series in two subsets, representing soil water recharge and depletion phases throughout the year, outlined the hysteresis in the relationship between S and SM.


Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Liang ◽  
Shahbaz Khan ◽  
Ai-xia Ren ◽  
Wen Lin ◽  
Sumera Anwar ◽  
...  

Dryland winter wheat in the Loess Plateau is facing a yield reduction due to a shortage of soil moisture and delayed sowing time. The field experiment was conducted at Loess Plateau in Shanxi, China from 2012 to 2015, to study the effect of subsoiling and conventional tillage and different sowing dates on the soil water storage, Nitrogen (N) accumulation, and remobilization and yield of winter wheat. The results showed that subsoiling significantly improved the soil water storage (0–300 cm soil depth) and increased the contribution of N translocation to grain N and grain yield (17–36%). Delaying sowing time had reduced the soil water storage at sowing and winter accumulated growing degree days by about 180 °C. The contribution of N translocation to grain yield was maximum in glume + spike followed by in leaves and minimum by stem + sheath. Moreover, there was a positive relationship between the N accumulation and translocation and the soil moisture in the 20–300 cm range. Subsoiling during the fallow period and the medium sowing date was beneficial for improving the soil water storage and increased the N translocation to grain, thereby increasing the yield of wheat, especially in a dry year.


Author(s):  
Jianpeng Ma ◽  
Xing Wang ◽  
Xining Zhao ◽  
Wenfei Zhang ◽  
Youke Wang

Abstract In order to study whether jujube trees can grow normally under rain-fed conditions in loess hilly areas, we planted jujube trees (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) 4 years after felling a 23-year-old apple orchard. The growth process of the jujube trees and the variation in soil water content (SWC) were monitored for three consecutive years following planting in order to study the effects of the water-saving pruning (WSP) technique. Results showed that: (1) The soil at a depth of 0–1,000 cm had been desiccated when the area was an apple orchard. (2) Under rain-fed condition, the jujube trees with WSP technique were always able to maintain normal growth while the jujube trees with conventional pruning method had a normal growth stage of only 4 years. And the water use efficiency of the jujube trees with WSP technique was much higher than that of the jujube trees with conventional pruning. We recommend WSP in jujube orchard management, because the jujube trees with WSP could maintain normal growth in deep dried soils of the loess hilly region, as WSP can reduce the water consumption of the jujube trees and may has positive effect on soil moisture restoration.


Author(s):  
Otto Corrêa Rotunno Filho ◽  
Afonso Augusto Magalhães de Araujo ◽  
Luciano Nóbrega Rodrigues Xavier ◽  
Daniel Medeiros Moreira ◽  
Rafael Carneiro Di Bello ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Łukasz Pardela ◽  
Tomasz Kowalczyk

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.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Fritz ◽  
Thakshajini Thaasan ◽  
Andrew Williams ◽  
Ranjith Udawatta ◽  
Sidath Mendis ◽  
...  

<p>Changing weather patterns and anthropogenic land use change significantly alter the terrestrial water cycle. A key variable that modulates the water cycle on the land surface is soil moisture and its variability in time and space. Hydrological models are used to simulate key components of the water cycle including infiltration, soil storage and uptake by plants. However, uncertainties remain in accurately representing soil moisture dynamics in models. Here, with the aid of several sensors installed at a 30-ha experimental research facility, we attempt to quantify differences in soil water storage across multiple land use types – cropped area, mosaic of turf grass and native plants, and an unkept weeded area as control land use. We will also discuss the accuracy of sensors to correctly measure soil water storage. Our study was conducted at an agricultural experimental station in Columbia, Missouri, USA. We use a variety of instruments to measure weather, evapotranspiration, and soil water. We used boundary layer scintillometers to measure near-surface turbulence, sensors to continuously track soil moisture and temperature, as well as weather stations for precipitation, air temperature, solar radiation and wind speed.  Changes in volumetric water content and soil temperature are measured at 5-minute intervals at 10-, 20-, and 40-cm soil depths to compare soil water storage among the three land use types. We also took soil samples before and after several storm events to calibrate the sensor readings at three sites. We, then, analyzed several storm events over a period of five months and compared the actual soil moisture and soil temperature dynamics at finer time intervals. With additional measurements of weather and boundary layer turbulence, we hope to reveal the landscape and weather control on soil moisture distribution across multiple land uses, and their subsequent impact on plant water uptake. Our preliminary results indicate that continuously disturbed agricultural lands depletes soil moisture at faster rates, which may present challenges in maintaining land productivity in the long term.</p>


1959 ◽  
Vol 40 (12) ◽  
pp. 605-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
William P. Lowry

This paper presents an abbreviated review of the literature concerning the relationship of evaporative moisture-loss rate to soil-moisture content. Results from a variety of sources appear to fall into four major types of curve expressing this relationship. The author compares these types and concludes that three of them are mutually supporting and represent special cases of the same process. The fourth type is considered contradictory. It is concluded further that the search for a neat, concise, general statement of the relationship under consideration is probably futile.


Author(s):  
Sumera Anwar ◽  
Yan Fei Liang ◽  
Shahbaz Khan ◽  
Zhi-qiang Gao

Dryland winter wheat in Loess Plateau is facing yield reduction due to shortage of soil moisture and delayed sowing time. Field experiment was conducted at Loess Plateau in Shanxi Province, China from 2012 to 2014, to study the effect of subsoiling and conventional tillage and different sowing dates on the soil water storage and contribution of N accumulation and remobilization to yield of winter wheat. The results showed that subsoiling significantly improved the soil water storage at 0-300 cm depth, improved the number of tillers and pre-anthesis N translocation in various organs of wheat and post-anthesis N accumulation, eventually increased the yield up to 17-36%. Delaying sowing time had reduced the soil water storage at sowing and winter accumulated temperature by about 180˚C. The contribution of N translocation to grain yield was maximum in glume+spike followed by in leaves and minimum by stem+sheath. In addition a close relationship was found between the N accumulation and translocation and the soil moisture in the 20-300 cm. Subsoiling during the fallow period and the medium sowing date was beneficial for improving the soil water storage and increased the N translocation to grain, thereby increasing the yield of wheat, especially in dry year.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 2601-2610
Author(s):  
Buhari Umasugi ◽  
Sugeng Prijono ◽  
S Soemarno ◽  
A Ariffin

The biopore infiltration hole with organic material litter can increase the soil capacity to accommodate and store soil moisture. This study was aimed to determine the effect of biopores and organic material litter on soil moisture storage and the relationship of climatic conditions on soil moisture storage. The experiment was carried out on clove plantations on Ternate Island, North Maluku from December 2018 to February 2019. This study used a factorial randomized block design. The first factor was the biopores with a depth of 50 cm and 90 cm, and the second factor was 4 types of organic material litters in the form of nutmeg leaves, clove leaves, Guinea grass leaves and a mixture of clove leaves and Guinea grass. The factors observed were total soil water storage and at depths of 0-20, 20-40, 40-60 and 60-80 cm; organic matter content; C/N ratio and soil total N. Data analysis used the GenStat program with analysis of variance test (ANOVA) and Duncan's Multiple Distance Test. Results of the study showed that evaporation and percolation are climatic factors that affect water loss. Increase in soil water storage at 20-40 cm soil depth of 107.56 mm was yielded by the treatment of 50 cm biopore and Guinea grass leaf litter but it was not significantly different from the 50 cm biopore and clove leaf litter + chicken manure treatment. The treatment of biopore and organic material litter also increased the organic matter and soil total N and decreased the soil C/N ratio, but it did not have a significant effect.


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