SOIL TEMPERATURE AND SOIL WATER UNDER ZERO TILLAGE IN MANITOBA

1982 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 311-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. GAUER ◽  
C. F. SHAYKEWICH ◽  
E. H. STOBBE

The influences of zero and conventional tillage on soil temperature and soil moisture were investigated on three soil types in Manitoba. When the straw was spread on the soil surface, zero-tilled fields were usually cooler than conventionally tilled fields. When the straw was removed by raking, the opposite was true. No consistent soil temperature differences occurred between conventional and zero-tilled soils when the straw was burned. Soil moisture was higher on the zero- than on conventionally tilled plots both when straw was spread on the surface and when the straw was removed by raking. No moisture differences occurred between the tilled and zero-tilled plots when the straw was burned. As the season progressed, differences in moisture and temperature decreased as the crop canopy developed, and as the straw and stubble disintegrated.

1985 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 329-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. CARTER ◽  
D. A. RENNIE

Soil temperature profiles and the aerial growth of wheat were characterized over portions of the growing season in 1980 and 1981 under zero and conventional tillage systems in a semi-arid region of Saskatchewan. Differences in maximum and minimum soil temperature, accumulative heat sums and thermal diffusivity over the 2.5-cm to 20-cm soil depth were related to variations in surface crop residues, soil moisture and crop canopy. Generally, maximum soil temperatures were 1–5 °C lower under zero tillage compared to conventional tillage during the first 30 days of crop growth for spring wheat. Similar soil temperature differences were evident between winter wheat zero tilled on stubble or chemical fallow during the period of early spring growth. Subsequent differences in crop canopy (shoot height), between tillage systems, tended to modify the soil temperature profile. Soil temperature differences were not associated with differences in yields of spring or winter wheat. Key words: Soil temperature, soil thermal properties, zero tillage systems, wheat,semi-arid climate


Koedoe ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Buitenwerf ◽  
Andrew Kulmatiski ◽  
Steven I. Higgins

Soil water potential is crucial to plant transpiration and thus to carbon cycling and biosphere–atmosphere interactions, yet it is difficult to measure in the field. Volumetric and gravimetric water contents are easy and cheap to measure in the field, but can be a poor proxy of plant-available water. Soil water content can be transformed to water potential using soil moisture retention curves. We provide empirically derived soil moisture retention curves for seven soil types in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Site-specific curves produced excellent estimates of soil water potential from soil water content values. Curves from soils derived from the same geological substrate were similar, potentially allowing for the use of one curve for basalt soils and another for granite soils. It is anticipated that this dataset will help hydrologists and ecophysiologists understand water dynamics, carbon cycling and biosphere–atmosphere interactions under current and changing climatic conditions in the region.


2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 363-370
Author(s):  
Ruixiu Sui ◽  
Horace C. Pringle ◽  
Edward M. Barnes

Abstract. One of the methods for irrigation scheduling is to use sensors to measure the soil moisture level in the plant root zone and apply water if there is a water shortage for the plants. The measurement accuracy and reliability of the soil moisture sensors are critical for sensor-based irrigation management. This study evaluated the measurement accuracy and repeatability of the EC-5 and 5TM soil volumetric water content (SVWC) sensors, the MPS-2 and 200SS soil water potential (SWP) sensors, and the 200TS soil temperature sensor. Six 183 cm × 183 cm × 71 cm wooden compartments were built inside a greenhouse, and each compartment was filled with one type of soil from the Mississippi Delta. A total of 66 sensors with 18 data loggers were installed in the soil compartments to measure SVWC, SWP, and soil temperature. Soil samples were periodically collected from the compartments to determine SVWC using the gravimetric method. SVWC measured by the sensors was compared with that determined by the gravimetric method. The SVWC readings from the sensors had a linear regression relationship with the gravimetric SVWC (r2 = 0.82). This relationship was used to calibrate the sensor readings. The SVWC and SWP sensors could detect the general trend of soil moisture changes. However, their measurements varied significantly among the sensors. To obtain accurate absolute soil moisture measurements, the sensors require individual and soil-specific calibration. The 5TM, MPS-2, and 200TS sensors performed well in soil temperature measurement tests. Individual temperature readings from these sensors were very close to the mean of all sensor readings. Keywords: Irrigation, Sensors, Soil types, Soil water content, Soil water potential.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6603
Author(s):  
Li Ma ◽  
Ming’an Shao ◽  
Tongchuan Li

Earthworms have an important influence on the terrestrial ecological environment. This study assesses the effect of different earthworm densities on soil water content (SWC) and evaporation in a laboratory experiment. Four earthworm densities (0 no-earthworm, control [C]; 207 earthworms m−2, low density [LDE]; 345 earthworms m−2, medium density [MDE]; and 690 earthworms m−2, high density [HDE]) are tested in soil columns. Results show that cumulative evaporation occurs in the decreasing order of densities: C (98.6 mm) > LDE (115.8 mm) > MDE (118.4 mm) > HDE (124.6 mm). Compared with the control, earthworm activity decreases cumulative soil evaporation by 5.0–20.9%, increases soil temperature to 0.46 °C–0.63 °C at 8:00, and decreases soil temperature to 0.21 °C–0.52 °C at 14:00 on the soil surface. Temperature fluctuations reduce with increasing earthworm densities. A negative correlation is found between cumulative soil evaporation and earthworm density (R2 = 0.969, p < 0.001). Earthworms significantly (p < 0.05) decrease the surface SWC loss (0–20 cm) soil layer but increase the subsoil SWC loss (60–100 cm) by adjusting the soil temperature and reducing soil water evaporation. Earthworm activities (burrows, casts…) improve the soil water holding ability by adjusting soil temperature and reducing soil water evaporation. Thus, the population quantity of earthworms may provide valuable ecosystem services in soil water and heat cycles to save water resources and realize sustainable agricultural development.


2001 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Long ◽  
H. Eiszner

HALLE-WITTENBERG, HALLE(SAALE), GERMANY Received: 13 June, 2001; accepted: 6 August, 2001 Field experiments were conducted at a high latitude site for sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) production in central Germany (51 o 24' N, 11 o 53' E) in 1996, 1997 and 1998. The responses of sunflower development to various planting patterns differed in the duration from emergence to the middle of the linear growth period as calculated via a tangent hyperbolic model F(t)=(. +ß)×tanh[. ×(t–.)]. Final dry matter accumulation showed few differences among the planting patterns: 12 plants m –2 at 50 cm row spacing at 75 cm row spacing (RS2PD2) and 4 plants m –2 at 100 cm row spacing (RS3PD1). The actual and simulated values for final dry matter were close to 1200 g m –2 . The responses of soil moisture and temperature to planting patterns changed from the upper to the deep soil layers. In a normal year, e.g. 1997, the soil water to 150 cm depth was sufficient for sunflower growth. In a drought year, e.g. 1998, soil water deeper than 150 cm was used by sunflower crops. The soil temperature was mostly lower in RS1PD3 and RS2PD2 than in RS3PD1, particularly in the upper soil, at depths of 5 and 20 cm. The most important factor defining the responses of soil moisture and temperature to planting patterns seems to be the amount of radiation penetrating the ground, which may depend on latitude, wind and row orientation.


2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Krčmáŕová ◽  
Hana Stredová ◽  
Radovan Pokorný ◽  
Tomáš Stdŕeda

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the course of soil temperature under the winter wheat canopy and to determine relationships between soil temperature, air temperature and partly soil moisture. In addition, the aim was to describe the dependence by means of regression equations usable for phytopathological prediction models, crop development, and yield models. The measurement of soil temperatures was performed at the experimental field station ˇZabˇcice (Europe, the Czech Republic, South Moravia). The soil in the first experimental plot is Gleyic Fluvisol with 49-58% of the content particles measuring < 0.01 mm, in the second experimental plot, the soil is Haplic Chernozem with 31-32% of the content particles measuring < 0.01 mm. The course of soil temperature and its specifics were determined under winter wheat canopy during the main growth season in the course of three years. Automatic soil temperature sensors were positioned at three depths (0.05, 0.10 and 0.20 m under soil surface), air temperature sensor in 0.05 m above soil surface. Results of the correlation analysis showed that the best interrelationships between these two variables were achieved after a 3-hour delay for the soil temperature at 0.05 m, 5-hour delay for 0.10 m, and 8-hour delay for 0.20 m. After the time correction, the determination coefficient reached values from 0.75 to 0.89 for the depth of 0.05 m, 0.61 to 0.82 for the depth of 0.10 m, and 0.33 to 0.70 for the depth of 0.20 m. When using multiple regression with quadratic spacing (modeling hourly soil temperature based on the hourly near surface air temperature and hourly soil moisture in the 0.10-0.40 m profile), the difference between the measured and the model soil temperatures at 0.05 m was −2.16 to 2.37 ◦ C. The regression equation paired with alternative agrometeorological instruments enables relatively accurate modeling of soil temperatures (R2 = 0.93).


2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 649-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Kochendorfer ◽  
J. A. Ramírez

Abstract. The soil-water balance and plant water use are investigated over a domain encompassing the central United States using the Statistical-Dynamical Ecohydrology Model (SDEM). The seasonality in the model and its use of the two-component Shuttleworth-Wallace canopy model allow for application of an ecological optimality hypothesis in which vegetation density, in the form of peak green leaf area index (LAI), is maximized, within upper and lower bounds, such that, in a typical season, soil moisture in the latter half of the growing season just reaches the point at which water stress is experienced. Another key feature of the SDEM is that it partitions evapotranspiration into transpiration, evaporation from canopy interception, and evaporation from the soil surface. That partitioning is significant for the soil-water balance because the dynamics of the three processes are very different. The partitioning and the model-determined peak in green LAI are validated based on observations in the literature, as well as through the calculation of water-use efficiencies with modeled transpiration and large-scale estimates of grassland productivity. Modeled-determined LAI are seen to be at least as accurate as the unaltered satellite-based observations on which they are based. Surprising little dependence on climate and vegetation type is found for the percentage of total evapotranspiration that is soil evaporation, with most of the variation across the study region attributable to soil texture and the resultant differences in vegetation density. While empirical evidence suggests that soil evaporation in the forested regions of the most humid part of the study region is somewhat overestimated, model results are in excellent agreement with observations from croplands and grasslands. The implication of model results for water-limited vegetation is that the higher (lower) soil moisture content in wetter (drier) climates is more-or-less completely offset by the greater (lesser) amount of energy available at the soil surface. This contrasts with other modeling studies which show a strong dependence of evapotranspiration partitioning on climate.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Lafuente ◽  
Miguel Berdugo ◽  
Mónica Ladrón de Guevara ◽  
Beatriz Gozalo ◽  
Fernando T. Maestre

AbstractSoil surface communities dominated by mosses, lichens and cyanobacteria (biocrusts) cover most of the soil surface between vegetation patches in drylands worldwide, and are known to affect soil wetting and drying after rainfall events. While ongoing climate change is already warming and changing rainfall patterns of drylands in many regions, little is known on how these changes may affect the hydrological behaviour of biocrust-covered soils. We used eight years of continuous soil moisture and rainfall data from a climate change experiment in central Spain to explore how biocrusts modify soil water gains and losses after rainfall events under simulated changes in temperature (2.5ºC warming) and rainfall (33% reduction). Both rainfall amount and biocrust cover increased soil water gains after rainfall events, whereas experimental warming, rainfall intensity and initial soil moisture decreased them. Initial moisture, maximum temperature and biocrust cover, by means of enhancing potential evapotranspiration or soil darkening, increased the drying rates and enhanced the exponential behaviour of the drying events. Meanwhile, the warming treatment reduced the exponential behaviour of these events. The effects of climate change treatments on soil water gains and losses changed through time, with important differences between the first two years of the experiment and after five years since its setup. These effects were mainly driven by the important reductions in biocrust cover and diversity observed under warming. Our results highlight the importance of long term studies to understand soil moisture responses to ongoing climate change in drylands.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-48
Author(s):  
Napsiah Heluth ◽  
J. Matinahoru ◽  
Fransina Latumahina

The research study aims to determine the ecological conditions of dusung and non dusung, and the role of the contribution to environmental conservation in Ureng Village. The research method used was purposive sampling with observation parameters were microclimate (CO2 content, air temperature, humidity), vegetation conditions and soil conditions (soil temperature, soil moisture, soil pH, soil moisture content, soil macrofauna and organic C) . The results of  Paired of each parameter measured mostly show a smaller calculated t value compared to the t0.05 table value (1.8595) which means that the parameter is not a real difference, ie for the air humidity, t count = 0.27,; soil pH, t count = 0.6; soil macrofauna, t count = -0.66 and vegetation, t count = 1.01. As for the parameters of CO2; air temperature, soil temperature, , soil water content and organic C, t value of CO2 gives the value t count = - 16.06; air temperature = -5.11; soil temperature = -3.62; soil moisture, t count = 2,16; soil water content = 8.47, and C-Organic = 8.53; t count value which is greater than t table value which shows that there is a significant difference between CO2, air temperature, soil temperature, soil moisture, soil water content and C-Organic content in the dusung area which is greater than in the non-dusung area. From the results of the analysis it is known that dusung has a better role in environmental conservation when compared to non dusung which is indicated by the value of CO2 air temperature, soil temperature, soil moisture, soil water content and C-organic content.


Koedoe ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Buitenwerf ◽  
Andrew Kulmatiski ◽  
Steven I. Higgins

Soil water potential is crucial to plant transpiration and thus to carbon cycling and biosphere–atmosphere interactions, yet it is difficult to measure in the field. Volumetric and gravimetric water contents are easy and cheap to measure in the field, but can be a poor proxy of plant-available water. Soil water content can be transformed to water potential using soil moisture retention curves. We provide empirically derived soil moisture retention curves for seven soil types in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Site-specific curves produced excellent estimates of soil water potential from soil water content values. Curves from soils derived from the same geological substrate were similar, potentially allowing for the use of one curve for basalt soils and another for granite soils. It is anticipated that this dataset will help hydrologists and ecophysiologists understand water dynamics, carbon cycling and biosphere–atmosphere interactions under current and changing climatic conditions in the region.


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