Estimating water retention curves of forest soils from soil texture and bulk density

Forest soils differ significantly from the arable land in their distribution of the soil bulk density and humus content, but the water retention parameters are primarily derived from the data of agricultural soils. Thus, there is a need to relate physical parameters of forest soils with their water retention characteristics and compare them with those of agricultural soils. Using 1850 water retention curves from forest soils, we related the following soil physical parameters to soil texture, bulk density, and C content: air capacity (AC), available water capacity (AWC), and the permanent wilting point (PWP). The ACs of forest soils were significantly higher than those of agricultural soils which were related to the low bulk densities of the forest soils, whereas differences in AWCs were small. Therefore, for a proper evaluation of the water retention curves (WRCs) and the parameters derived from them, further subdivisions of the lowest (< 1.45 g cm^‐3) of the three bulk density classes was undertaken to the wide range of low soil densities in forest soils (giving a total of 5 bulk density classes). In Germany, 31 soil texture classes are used for the estimation of soil physical parameters. Such a detailed classification is not required because of insignificant differences in WRCs for a large number of these classes. Based on cluster analysis of AC, AWC, and PWP parameters, 10 texture collectives were obtained. Using 5 classes of bulk densities, we further calculated the ACs, AWCs, and the PWPs for these 10 classes. Furthermore, “van Genuchten parameters” (θ r, θ s, α, and n) were derived which described the average WRC for each designated class. In a second approach using multiple regression analysis, regression functions for AC, AWC, and PWP and for the van Genuchten parameter were calculated.     

Pedotransfer functions for estimating plant available water and bulk density in Swedish agricultural soils

Abstract

Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) to estimate plant available water were developed from a database of arable soils in Sweden. The PTFs were developed to fulfil the minimum requirements of any agro-hydrological application, i.e., soil water content at wilting point (θ _wp ) and field capacity (θ _fc ), from information that frequently is available from soil surveys such as texture and soil organic carbon content (SOC). From the same variables we also estimated bulk density (ρ) and porosity (ε), which seldom are included in surveys, but are needed for calculating element mass balances. The seven particle-size classes given in the data set were aggregated in different ways to match information commonly gained from surveys. Analysis of covariance and stepwise multiple linear regression were used for quantifying the influence of depth, particle size class, textural class and soil organic carbon on the characteristic variables. PTFs developed from other data sets were also tested and their goodness-of-fit and bias was evaluated. These functions and those developed for the Swedish database were also tested on an independent data set and finally ranked according to their goodness of fit. Among single independent variables, clay was the best predictor for θ _wp , sand (or the sum of clay and silt) for θ _fc and SOC for ρ and ε. A large fraction of the variation in θ _wp and θ _fc is explained by soil texture and SOC (up to 90%) and root mean square errors (RMSEs) were as small as 0.03 m³ water m^?3 soil in the best models. For the prediction of ρ and ε in the test data set, the best PTF could only explain 40–43% of the total variance with corresponding RMSEs of 0.14 g cm^?3 and 5.3% by volume, respectively. Recently presented PTFs derived from a North American database performed very well for estimating θ _wp (low error and bias) and could be recommended for Swedish soils if measurements of clay, sand and SOC were available. Although somewhat less accurately, also θ _fc could be estimated satisfactorily. This indicates that the determination of plant available water by texture and SOC is rather independent of soil genesis and that certain PTFs are transferable between continents.     

陕西省洛川县第3-4层黄土和古土壤水分特征研究

通过对陕西省洛川县第3—4黄土层和第3—4红色古土壤层的原状土进行水分特征曲线、田间持水量等项目的实验测定,分析计算了各层土壤的供水储水性能及有效水分含量。结果表明,洛川第3—4黄土层和第3—4红色古土壤土层的水分特征曲线与Van Genuchten模型非常符合,相关系数R2均达0.99以上,说明采用Van Genuchten模型对这4个土层的水分含量和能量之间的关系进行描述是比较准确的。0～30kPa吸力条件下,第3—4黄土层比第3—4红色古土壤层持水量高,黄土层的供水(释水)性能和储水性能强于古土壤。这4个土层随着吸力的增加,在较低吸力段供水性能和储水性能减弱幅度较大,在较高吸力段减弱幅度较小。黄土层所能容纳的有效水含量、饱和含水量与田间持水量均大于红色古土壤层,黄土层的稳定凋萎湿度一般小于红色古土壤的稳定凋萎湿度。     

甘肃省不同气候类型区土壤水分特性

为揭示甘肃省不同气候区不同质地土壤的容重、田间持水量和凋萎湿度的差异,对观测资料的适用性和推广价值进行评价.通过对77个站点10—100 cm土壤水分资料的分析,结果表明:甘肃省全省的土壤容重范围为0.89～1.79 g/cm3,平均值为1.36 g/cm3,表层土壤容重与深层土壤容重差异显著(P<0.05),半湿润区...     

2种高分子保水材料对土壤持水能力的影响

采用离心机法,研究聚丙烯酸钠与聚丙烯酰胺2种高分子化合物在5种使用浓度（占干土质量0、0．01％、0．08％、0．2％与1％）的条件下对3种土壤（砂土、壤土、黏土）持水能力的影响。结果表明：3种土壤在0．01—1．5MPa水吸力时,持水能力随着2种高分子材料用量的增加而增加,砂土的作用效果较壤土、黏土更显著;2种高分子材料与土壤质量比控制在8／10000～2／1000范围内其作用效果较好,该用量条件下高分子吸持水分平均可释放83．7％供植物吸收利用。2种高分子材料对土壤持水能力的作用效果基本相同。     

Transferability of continuous‐ and class‐pedotransfer functions to predict water retention properties of semiarid Syrian soils

Hydraulic properties of soils, particularly water retention, are key for appropriate management of semiarid soils. Very few pedotransfer functions (PTF s) have been developed to predict these properties for soils of Mediterranean regions, where data are particularly scarce. We investigated the transferability of PTF s to semiarid soils. The quality of the prediction was compared to that for soils originating from temperate regions for which most PTF s were developed. We used two soil data sets: one from the Paris basin (French data set, n  = 30) and a Syrian data set (n  = 30). Soil samples were collected in winter when the water content was near field capacity. Composition and water content of the samples were determined at seven water potentials. Continuous‐ and class‐PTF s developed using different predictors were tested using the two data sets and their performance compared to those developed using artificial neural networks (ANN ). The best performance and transferability of the PTF s for both data sets used soil water content at field capacity as predictor after stratification by texture. The quality of prediction was similar to that for ANN ‐PTF s. Continuous‐ and class‐PTF s may be transferable to other countries with performances that vary according to their ability to account for variation in soil composition and structure. Taking into account predictors of composition (particle size distribution, texture, organic carbon content) and structure (bulk density, porosity, field capacity) did not lead to a better performance or the best transferability potential.     

Effects of coal derived humic substances on water retention and structural stability of Mediterranean soils

Abstract. The potential for using coal-derived humic substances to improve the available water holding capacity (AWC) and aggregate stability of typical Mediterranean soils was evaluated in the laboratory using an agricultural surface (0–20 cm) soil from each of three regions of Italy, (Sicily, Tuscany and Venetia) and five rates of humic acids (HA), 0,0.05,0.10,0.50 and 1.00 g/kg. There were significant ( P < 0.05) differences between the field capacity (FC), permanent wilting point (PWP), and available water capacity (AWC) values of the controls and those treated with 0.05 g/kg of the HA. Beyond this rate, differences in these properties were not significant. At the 1.00 g/kg HA rate, the relative improvements in AWC over the three controls were 30%, 10% and 26%. Low rates (0.05 to 0.10 g/kg) of HA were also needed to obtain a 40 to 120% improvement in aggregate stability of these soils relative to the controls. These results indicate that the addition of highly humified organic matter such as coal-derived humic substances can improve the structural and water retention properties of degraded arable soils. However, since there is not yet any direct evidence that these humic materials can ameliorate soils under field conditions, field studies will be needed to validate these results.     

Integral energy of conventional available water, least limiting water range and integral water capacity for better characterization of water availability and soil physical quality

Different approaches have been proposed for quantification of soil water availability for plants but mostly they do not fully describe how water is released from the soil to be absorbed by the plant roots. A new concept of integral energy (E_I) was suggested by Minasny and McBratney (Minasny, B., McBratney, A.B. 2003. Integral energy as a measure of soil-water availability. Plant and Soil 249, 253-262) to quantify the energy required for plants to take up a unit mass of soil water over a defined water content range. This study was conducted to explore the E_I concept in association with other new approaches for soil water availability including the least limiting water range (LLWR) and the integral water capacity (IWC) besides conventional plant available water (PAW). We also examined the relationship between E_I and Dexter's index of soil physical quality (S-value). Twelve agricultural soils were selected from different regions in Hamadan province, western Iran. Soil water retention and penetration resistance, Q, were measured on undisturbed samples taken from the 5-10 cm layer. The PAW, LLWR and IWC were calculated with two matric suctions (h) of 100 and 330 hPa for field capacity (FC), and then the E_I values were calculated for PAW, LLWR and IWC. There were significant differences (P < 0.01) between the E_I values calculated for PAW₁₀₀, PAW₃₃₀, LLWR₁₀₀, LLWR₃₃₀ and IWC. The highest (319.0 J kg⁻¹) and the lowest (160.7 J kg⁻¹) means of E_I were found for the E_I(IWC) and E_I(PAW330), respectively. The E_I values calculated for PAW₁₀₀, LLWR₁₀₀ and LLWR₃₃₀ were 225.6, 177.9 and 254.1 J kg⁻¹, respectively. The mean value of E_I(PAW330) was almost twice as large as the mean of E_I(IWC) showing that IWC is mostly located at lower h values when compared with PAW₃₃₀. Significant relationships were obtained between E_I(IWC) and h at Q = 1.5 MPa, and E_I(LLWR100) or E_I(LLWR330) and h at Q = 2 MPa indicating strong dependency of E_I on soil strength in the dry range. We did not find significant relationships between E_I(PAW100) or E_I(PAW330) and bulk density (ρ_b) or relative ρ_b (ρ_b-rel). However, E_I(LLWR100) or E_I(LLWR330) was negatively and significantly affected by ρ_b and ρ_b-rel. Both E_I(PAW100) and E_I(PAW330) increased with increasing clay content showing that a plant must use more energy to absorb a unit mass of PAW from a clay soil than from a sandy soil. High negative correlations were found between E_I(PAW100) or E_I(PAW330) and the shape parameter (n) of the van Genuchten function showing that soils with steep water retention curves (coarse-textured or well-structured) will have lower E_I(PAW). Negative and significant relations between E_I(PAW100) or E_I(PAW330) and S were obtained showing the possibility of using S to predict the energy that must be used by plants to take up a unit mass of water in the PAW range. Our findings show that E_I can be used as an index of soil physical quality in addition to the PAW, LLWR, IWC and S approaches.     

Soil hydraulic and physico-chemical properties of Ultisols and Inceptisols in south-eastern Nigeria

Understanding soil water dynamics and storage is important to avoid crop failure on highly weathered, porous and leached soils. The aim of the study was to relate soil moisture characteristics to particle-size distributions and chemical properties. On average, Atterberg limits were below 25% in the A-horizon and not more than26.56% in the B-horizon, whereas soil bulk density was between 1.27 and 1.66Mgm^?3. The saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_sat) was generally between 0.20 and 5.43 cm h^?1 in the top soil and <1.31 cm h^?1 in the subsoil. The higher K_sat values for the A-horizons were attributed to the influence soil microorganisms operating more in that horizon. The amount of water retained at field capacity or at permanent wilting point was greater in the B-horizons than in the A-horizons, suggesting that clay accumulation in the B-horizon and evapotranspiration effects in the A-horizon may have influenced water retention in the soils. Soil moisture parameters were positively related to clay content, silt content, exchangeable Mg²⁺, Fe₂O₃ and Al₂O₃, and negatively related to sand content, SiO₂, sodium absorption ratio, exchangeable sodium percentage and bulk density. The low clay content may explain why drainage was so rapid in the soils.     

Comparative Analysis of MLR,ANN, and ANFIS Models for Prediction of Field Capacity and Permanent Wilting Point for Bafra Plain Soils

ABSTRACT

Soil hydraulic parameters like moisture content at field capacity and permanent wilting point constitute significant input parameters of various biophysical models and agricultural practices (irrigation timing and amount of irrigation to be applied). In this study, the performance of three different methods (Multiple linear regression – MLR, Artificial Neural Network – ANN and Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System – ANFIS) with different input parameters in prediction of field capacity and permanent wilting point from easily obtained soil characteristics were compared. Correlation analysis indicated that clay content, sand content, cation exchange capacity, CaCO₃, and organic matter had significant correlations with FC and PWP (p < .01). Validation results revealed that the ANN model with the greatest R² and the lowest MAE and RMSE value exhibited better performance for prediction of FC and PWP than the MLR and ANFIS models. ANN model had R² = 0.83, MAE = 2.36% and RMSE = 3.30% for FC and R² = 0.81, MAE = 2.15%, RMSE = 2.89% for PWP in training dataset; R² = 0.80, MAE = 2.27%, RMSE = 3.12% for FC and R² = 0.83, MAE = 1.84%, RMSE = 2.40% for PWP in testing dataset. Also, Bayesian Regularization (BR) algorithm exhibited better performance for both FC and PWP than the other training algorithms.     

不同水分条件下保水剂对土壤持水与供水能力的影响

为探明水分条件对保水剂作用效果的影响,采用盆栽实验,测定冬小麦生长结束后不同水分条件下保水剂不同用量（T1：0、T2：27 mg/kg、T3：54 mg/kg、T4：81 mg/kg）处理的土壤持水、供水及导水性能等。结果表明：保水剂的施用均提高了土壤持水、供水、导水能力及土壤有效水含量。轻度胁迫条件下,以T3处理的持水能力、有效水含量及导水能力最强,而供水能力以T4处理为佳;充分供水条件下,随保水剂用量的增加,土壤持水能力、供水能力、有效水含量及导水能力均提高,但T3和T4处理间差异不显著。与轻度胁迫相比,充分供水条件下各处理的持水能力、供水能力及导水能力均较高,而有效水含量以轻度胁迫条件下的T3处理较高,较对照增加18.6%。从经济的角度考虑,2水分条件下以T3处理（54 mg/kg）效果为佳。     

中国西南水梯田土壤水分特性研究——以哈尼梯田为例

为了研究中国西南水梯田的土壤水分特性,以云南哈尼梯田为例,选取哈尼梯田核心区全福庄小流域内林地、荒草地、旱地和水田4种土地利用类型,分层取0—10,10—20,20—40,40—60,60—80,80—100 cm深度土样测其主要土壤理化指标和土壤水分特征曲线,分析其土壤的持水性和水分有效性.结果表明:(1)哈尼梯田4...     

生物炭对东北黑土持水特性的影响

为探究生物炭对东北黑土持水特性的影响,系统研究3种添加比例(2%、5%、10%)、3种粒径(0.25、0.5、1 mm)的杨木炭和竹炭对3种质地东北黑土(壤土、砂壤土、砂土)田间持水量和含水率的影响规律,构建添加生物炭黑土的水分特征曲线,并采用Van-Genuchten和Broods-Corey模型进行拟合。结果表明:生物炭能显著提高不同质地东北黑土的持水能力,黑土的田间持水量与生物炭的添加比例呈显著正相关,而与生物炭的粒径呈负相关,0.5 mm和1 mm粒径的生物炭对黑土田间持水量的影响差异不显著,杨木炭显著优于竹炭,0.25 mm、10%添加比例的杨木炭对东北黑土持水能力的提高效果最优,壤土、砂壤土、砂土3种质地黑土的田间持水量和饱和含水率分别可提高64.97%、66.42%、69.39%和47.60%、38.93%、31.18%;Van-Genuchten模型能更精确的模拟添加生物炭黑土的水分特征曲线,最佳离心时间为100 min,三次函数曲线能够较好的拟合添加生物炭黑土的体积含水率与离心吸力之间的多元动态关系,为生物炭对各种质地东北黑土水分运动规律的深入研究提供理论依据。     

Impact of addition of different rates of rice-residue biochar on C and N dynamics in texturally diverse soils

Impacts of crop residue biochar on soil C and N dynamics have been found to be subtly inconsistent in diverse soils. In the present study, three soils differing in texture (loamy sand, sandy clay loam and clay) were amended with different rates (0%, 0.5%, 1%, 2% and 4%) of rice-residue biochar and incubated at 25°C for 60 days. Soil respiration was measured throughout the incubation period whereas, microbial biomass C (MBC), dissolved organic C (DOC), NH₄⁺-N and NO₃^–N were analysed after 2, 7, 14, 28 and 60 days of incubation. Carbon mineralization differed significantly between the soils with loamy sand evolving the greatest CO₂ followed by sandy clay loam and clay. Likewise, irrespective of the sampling period, MBC, DOC, NH₄⁺-N and NO₃^–N increased significantly with increasing rate of biochar addition, with consistently higher values in loamy sand than the other two soils. Furthermore, regardless of the biochar rates, NO₃^–-N concentration increased significantly with increasing period of incubation, but in contrast, NH₄⁺-N temporarily increased and thereafter, decreased until day 60 in all soils. It is concluded that C and N mineralization in the biochar amended soils varied with the texture and native organic C status of the soils.     

东北主要类型旱田土壤持水特性研究

土壤持水特性是对土壤水分有效性的一种反映,不同土壤持水特性存在差异。为了解东北地区主要旱田耕地土壤的持水特性,本研究通过定点采样方法,在不同地区选择了典型的黑土、草甸土、白浆土、碱土、褐土5类旱田耕地土壤,通过压力膜法得出不同水柱压力下土壤水分实测值,并通过Van Genuchten和Garden模型进行模型拟合,相关性极显著,通过Van Genuchten绘制土壤水分特征曲线,从曲线看出,不同类型土壤持水特性存在差异,0～10 cm土层各土壤水分特征曲线差异大、曲线分散,草甸土、白浆土、碱土含水量在各压力下均处于较高水平,褐土最低,黑土居中; 10～20 cm土层土壤水分特征曲线在低吸力阶段差异仍较大,高吸力阶段差异小,褐土含水量最低,草甸土、白浆土、碱土趋于一致,黑土居中; 20～30 cm土层差异减小,褐土、碱土、黑土趋于一致;通过Garden模型计算土壤比水容量,不同水吸力下,褐土比水容量最高,其次是黑土,草甸土、白浆土和碱土比水容量较低,说明褐土和黑土释水能力强;土壤饱和含水量与土壤容重显著负相关,土壤有效持水库容与土壤大颗粒、土壤0. 02 mm的颗粒呈极显著负相关,与0. 02～2 mm的颗粒含量呈显著正相关;草甸土、碱土、白浆土饱和持水库容高,但有效库容低,与褐土、黑土相反。因此,提高土壤持水能力要根据土壤的物质特性提出对应措施。     

枯落物敷盖对红壤坡地土壤水分特性的影响

为探明红壤坡地枯落物敷盖的保水作用及其机理,在江西省北部德安县第四纪红黏土母质发育的红壤坡地开展定位试验,以裸露坡地为对照,研究枯落物敷盖措施实施15年后对0—60cm土层土壤的持水性、供水性和水分有效性的影响。结果表明:赣北红壤坡地的土壤水分持水能力低,供水能力弱,有效水含量少,仅为9.0%~11.1%;枯落物敷盖处理的红壤坡地上层(0—30cm)土壤持水能力高于裸露坡地;低吸力范围(100kPa)枯落物敷盖处理的下层(30—60cm)土壤供水能力高于裸露坡地。枯落物敷盖能够有效提高红壤坡地土壤(尤其是上层土壤)持水能力,增强上层土壤在相对湿润状况下的供水性能,而对土壤水分有效性影响相对较弱。该研究可为优化地表敷盖措施、增加和保持土壤水资源以及合理开发利用南方红壤坡地提供参考。     

生物炭对云南典型植烟土壤持水性及烤烟产量的影响

为解决季节性干旱导致云南省烤烟减产的问题,开展了烟秆生物炭改善云南典型植烟土壤持水性的研究,进而为生物炭在烟叶生产中的推广应用提供依据。通过盆栽试验研究了穴施不同用量生物炭(0%、1%、4%、7%、11%干土重)对黄红壤(YR)、黄棕壤(YB)、赤红壤(LR)、水稻土(PD)和紫色土(PE)5种典型植烟土壤持水性的影响。结果表明:施用生物炭显著提升5种土壤持水性,一次浇水周期较对照延长1~5 d,对烤烟产量的影响因土壤类型而异。其中,1%~11%范围内,YR土壤持水性随着生物炭用量增加而降低,施用生物炭1%土壤持水性最好,与对照相比,烤烟生育期总补水量显著降低59.5%,土壤含水量平均下降速度显著下降50.4%,水分利用效率显著提高32.3%。但施用生物炭导致烤烟最高减产37.9%。YB土壤持水性随着生物炭用量增加呈升高趋势,施用生物炭11%最好,相比对照,烤烟生育期总补水量显著降低41.3%,水分利用效率显著提高93.3%,产量无显著提高。随着生物炭用量增加,LR土壤持水性先增加后降低,施用生物炭4%效果最好,烤烟产量和水分利用效率分别较对照显著提高46.2%和68.8%。随着生物炭用量增加,PD和PE的土壤持水性及烤烟产量呈现先增加后降低趋势,施用生物炭7%效果最佳,与对照相比,烤烟产量分别显著提高17.0%和55.6%,总补水量分别显著降低40.3%和26.8%,土壤含水量平均下降速度分别显著降低37.4%和36.5%,水分利用效率分别显著提高94.4%和121.7%。烟秆生物炭对于云南典型植烟土壤的保水效果明显,其最佳施用量视土壤类型而异。