Models for estimating capillary rise in a heavy clay soil with a saline shallow water table

Summary Shallow saline water tables underlie large areas of the clay soils in the Murray basin of Australia. Accurate estimation of capillary rise is important in formulating management strategies to avoid degradation of such soils. Measured capillary rise from a saline water table was compared with capillary rise estimated by three mathematical models of varying complexity and input requirement. A quasi steady state analytical model (QS-SAM), a transient state analytical model (TSAM) and a numerical model (NM) were used. An undisturbed heavy clay soil core of 0.75 m diameter and 1.4m deep was subjected to a static saline water table at 1.2 m from the surface. A wheat crop was grown on the core and the weekly capillary rise from the water table was measured. The electrical conductivity of a 1:2 soil: water extract was determined at 0.15 m depth intervals before and 21 weeks after the introduction of the saline water table. The QSSAM did not satisfactorily estimate the initial wetting of the subsoil and the estimated capillary rise was considerably lower than the measured values. Capillary rise estimated by the TSAM was reasonably close to the measured values, but the weekly rates fluctuated considerably. The NM estimated capillary rise quite satisfactorily throughout the experiment. Except near the soil surface, the electrical conductivity values estimated by the NM were close to the measured values. For estimating total capillary rise over large areas, the TSAM is preferred over the NM because of its fewer input requirements and shorter execution time.     

Cage wheel blocking in wet clay soil

Experiments to investigate how blocking in cage wheels occurs showed three possible mechanisms. It was found that these mechanisms were strong functions of lug slip and lug spacing (the angular spacing between two consecutive lugs), in Bangkok clay soil at 49% (d.b.) moisture content. The blocking process observed at 100% slip was found to be the most likely mechanism by which cage wheels block in wet soil in practice.     

On-farm sampling density and correction requirements for soil moisture determination in irrigated heavy clay soils in the Gezira,central Sudan

Using the neutron scattering technique, with separate calibration for each measuring depth and temperature corrections, an over-sampling experiment with a worst case analysis was conducted in tenant irrigated fields under arid conditions. The purpose was to better understand actual on-farm soil moisture distribution as well as to determine minimum sampling density requirements for water use efficiency calculations in the heavy cracking clay soils of the Gezira irrigation scheme, central Sudan, under inhomogeneous watering conditions. Results show that actual soil moisture inhomogeneities can seriously distort the moisture distribution and water use pictures if the sampling density is too low. In a 2.1 ha end field under Gezira conditions 20 equally spaced neutron probe samples had to be collected from the 30 cm soil depth if the total experimental errors were to be kept within 12.5% of the average moisture content being measured. Sampling density requirements increased to 24, 28 and 33 samples for worst case error limits of 10%, 7.5% and 5% at 30 cm depth. At the agronomically more important lower depths, at or below 70 cm, less than 10 samples only could be afforded with an error of 10% at 70 cm, of 15% at 50 cm and of 20% at 30 cm, the errors typically becoming smaller at larger depths throughout. Credible soil water averages were obtained with this sampling. Field moisture patterns were well recognized when averaging several days of measurements.     

Functioning of mole drains in a clay soil

Observations of water-table fluctuation and drainflow are reported from a field experiment on a heavy clay soil with replicated “mole-drained” and undrained plots. Results from rainfall events indicated that in both treatments the dominant water movement was through the topsoil which in the drained plots was directly linked to the mole channels probably by fissures.     

Growth of lucerne (Medicago sativa,L.) in response to frequency of irrigation and gypsum application on a heavy clay soil

Summary Effects of weekly (W) and fortnightly (F) irrigation schedules on established stands of lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) grown on gypsum treated (G) and untreated (C) heavy clay soil were investigated. Two irrigations were applied under the fortnightly regime and four under the weekly schedule during a single cutting cycle. Growth and light interception were measured during both the vegetative and mature phases of growth.Leaf expansion, light interception and dry matter production were greater under treatments W _G and W _C, with yield increasing from 3.4 t ha^–1 under the fortnightly schedule to 5.0 t ha-1 with weekly irrigation. Gypsum treatment was effective under the more frequent irrigation schedule. Specific leaf area and the proportion of stem were both increased by treatments W _G and W _C. The responses to irrigation were therefore characteristic of those elicited by a more favourable plant moisture status. Growth was analysed in terms of light interception, the efficiency of utilisation of intercepted light, the proportion of the daily dry matter gain retained by the leaves and leaf expansion. The analysis demonstrated that impaired leaf expansion contributed to a decline of approximately 15% in yield, and that impaired efficiencies of utilisation of intercepted light contributed to losses of approximately 30% under the less frequent irrigation schedule.A comparison of growth rates and efficiencies of energy conversion with published data showed that satisfactory rates of growth and levels of productivity were achieved on the heavy soils of the local region using gypsum treatment and the more frequent irrigation schedule.     

Hydraulic properties and water balance of a clay soil cropped with cotton

A field study was carried out in the Cukurova Region, Southern Turkey to investigate the magnitude of the components of water balance, and the water uptake by cotton roots in relation to hydraulic properties of a clay soil. A plot cropped with cotton and with bare soil only were equipped with tensiometers, gypsum blocks, and access tubes for neutron probe to monitor soil water potential and water content.The hydraulic conductivity values, evaporation and drainage rates, and water withdrawal of roots were determined from field data with numerical calculations based on water flow equations.Results showed that the evaporation from bare soil was generally high during the three month period May to July varying between 4.5 and 1.0 mm/day. However, when soil water potential at 10 cm depth had decreased to -0.065 and -0.070 MPa in the drying phase, the evaporation from the soil decreased to 0.4 mm/day. The drainage rates were influenced by rainfall.The highest values of capillary flux toward the surface layer, and drainage rate from the cropped soil, were 2.0 and 1.8 mm/day respectively. Rates of water uptake by roots from the soil profile, not including the 0–10 cm layer, were high when compared with drainage and upward fluxes, changing between 7.7 and 1.4 mm/day during the experimental period. A good agreement between root length densities and water uptake was found; up to 80% of all roots were in the top 50 cm of the soil and 78% of the total water uptake was extracted from the same layer. Evapotranspiration was found to decline as a cubic function of the available water content of the top 120 cm of the soil profile.     

Nitrogen leaching during sprinkler irrigation of a Dutch clay soil

Short-circuiting, which is vertical movement of free water through large continuous pores in an unsaturated soil matrix, was measured in the field in large columns from a cracked Dutch clay soil. The columns had been fertilized with chemical nitrogen fertilizer at a rate of 80 kg N ha^?1. Sprinkler irrigation (with an average intensity of 18 mm h^?1 and applied quantities varying from 8 mm to 22 mm) resulted in strong nitrogen leaching from the columns. Losses, which averaged 30%, resulted from mass-flow due to short-circuiting. Redox measurements suggested that no denitrification occurred. Application of only 6 mm of water slightly reduced nitrogen losses to approximately 15%. Losses could be reduced to 8% by applying the fertilizer to a wet soil surface which had just been sprinkled, and by sprinkling again the next day. In that way, the fertilizer grains dissolve and nitrogen diffuses into the surface soil, allowing less nitrogen movement along the soil surface towards the vertical cracks during the next sprinkling.     

Field evidence for a bi-porous soil water regime in clay soils

A bi-porous model of the soil water regime is examined in the light of field data. It is proposed that the water level in macropores can be measured by auger holes, whereas the micropore component can be measured by the neutron probe. Field observations show rapid fluctuation in auger hole levels but only very slow changes in the neutron probe readings. These are in line with the predictions of the model which thus receives qualitative verification.     

Wet clay soil behaviour under multiple cage wheel lugs

This paper presents the results of studies on the deformation of wet clay soil under the action of multiple lugs. The effect of trench spacing (the distance between trenches cut by successive lugs), lug slip and lug spacing on the soil deformation under cage wheel lugs was studies. Wedge formation under a succeeding lug has also been studied. It was observed that the soil behaviour under multiple cage wheel lugs was significantly affected by lug spacing and slip. The soil wedge formation as well as soil adhering to the succeeding lug was a strong function of lug slip and spacing. In all cases the soil deformation pattern was quite different from that caused by a single lug.     

Determining percolation losses of packed clay soil from tensiometer data

The measurement or prediction of percolation losses in field situations is of great practical significance for efficient irrigation and for determination of the leaching requirement, particularly of clayey soils where impeded percolation occurs. Hydraulic properties and water losses in packed Ashutia clay soil were determined under prevented-evaporation and free-evaporation conditions using lysimeter and tensiometric techniques. Hydraulic conductivity was determined as a function of soil moisture content using percolation flux computed. An exponential relationship between hydraulic conductivity and soil water content K = ae^bθ, was found. The percolation and evaporation-plus-percolation fluxes estimated from tensiometer readings under prevented-and free-evaporation conditions, respectively, matched with profile water losses from lysimeter measurements. The error ranged between 0.01 and 0.82 mm day⁻¹ with high correlation coefficient indicating that water loss from a soil profile can be estimated from tensiometer readings.     

Drainage effects on spatial variability of soil electrical conductivity in a vertisol

Spatial variability of soil electrical conductivity (EC) is characterized in a 33 ha plot before and 2 years after drainage initiation. Measurements of EC were made in a square grid at 50 m spacing and at 0–20, 20–40, 40–60 and 0–60 cm depths. Both mean EC values and coefficients of variation (CV) are reduced after drainage. The frequency histograms show that EC fits to a lognormal distribution before drainage, whereas it seems to be normally distributed after drainage initiation. The bimodality found in histograms before drainage was not observed after it. Spatial structure of soil EC is strongest at 0–20 cm before drainage and it is weaker at greatest depths. Nevertheless, the semi-variogram at 40–60 cm after drainage shows a more remarkable spatial structure. EC spatial variability shows anisotropy before drainage, which was related to topography. However, directional semi-variograms after drainage did not show such anisotropy. In conclusion, drainage not only reduces EC values, but also notably changes EC spatial variability.     

Response of cotton to different soil water deficits on clay soils

Summary Cotton was grown under sprinkler irrigation on a silty clay soil at Keiser, Arkansas, for the 1987, 1988 and 1989 growing seasons. Irrigation treatments consisted of maximum soil water deficits (SWD) of 25, 50 and 75 mm and a nonirrigated control. While the irrigated treatments were significantly different from the control for plant height and total seedcotton yield, significant differences among the three irrigated treatments were only observed for plant height. Yields were significantly lower in 1989 than in the other two years of the study, due in part to later planting. The 3-year averages for total seedcotton yield were 3280 and 2870 kg ha^–1 for irrigated and nonirrigated, respectively, for an average increase corresponding to irrigation of 416 kg ha^–1 or 14.5% of the nonirrigated yield. The maximum increase was observed in 1988 as 602 kg ha^–1 or 20.6% of the nonirrigated yield for that year. The 75 mm allowable SWD was the most efficient treatment and resulted in a 3-year average of 3.85 kg ha^–1 additional seedcotton (above the nonirrigated) harvested for each 1 mm of irrigation applied. Maintaining the SWD below a 75 mm maximum required an average of four irrigations and 110 mm of irrigation water per year.     

A comparison of drip and furrow irrigated cotton on a cracking clay soil

Summary To determine if drip irrigation increases fertilizer requirements and/or the efficiency of utilization compared to furrow irrigation, growth and nitrogen uptake were measured in a four-year experiment comparing surface (SD) and buried (BD) methods of drip irrigation with furrow irrigation (F) of cotton. The soil was a slowly-permeable cracking grey clay (vertisol) at Narrabri, N.S.W Drip-irrigated treatments were maintained at a deficit of 45 mm below the fully-irrigated soil water content, while F was irrigated when the deficit reached about 90 mm. Nitrogen (N) fertilizer was applied weekly with drip irrigation to BD and SD over the first half of the season, and as a conventional single application to F before sowing. Leaf area index (LAI), dry matter and N uptake were influenced more by season than by method of irrigation. LAI during boll filling averaged 2.4 and was 10% greater in BD than in SD and F. Final dry matter averaged 988 g m^–2 and was 10% greater in BD and SD than in F. The efficiency of conversion of solar radiation into dry matter averaged 0.55 g MJ^–1; lint yield as a fraction of dry matter averaged 0.18; neither parameter was consistently influenced by the method of irrigation. Total N uptake ranged from 97 to 170 kg ha^–1 and was influenced by irrigation method in one season only, when it was less in F than in SD and BD. N was often taken up later under drip irrigation than under F: there was up to 40% less N taken up by SD than F in the early flowering stage. The delay was associated with later application of N to BD and SD compared with F, and the application of N to the surface of alternate furrows of SD. Plant factors such as root ageing and competition between roots and bolls, were also implicated. We conclude that all of the N should be applied to drip-irrigated cotton on these soils by mid flowering, and that some of the N should be applied in the soil before sowing.     

Measured and simulated soil wetting patterns under porous clay pipe sub-surface irrigation

Sub-surface irrigation with porous clay pipe can be an efficient, water saving method of irrigation for many less developed arid and semi-arid regions. Maximizing the efficiency of clay pipe irrigation requires guidelines and criteria for system design and operation. In this study, experimental and simulated (with HYDRUS (2D/3D)) soil wetting patterns were investigated for sub-surface pipe systems operating at different water pressures. Predictions of the soil water content made with HYDRUS were found to be in good agreement (R² = 0.98) with the observed data. Additional simulations with HYDRUS were used to study the effects of various design parameters on soil wetting. Increasing the system pressure increased the size of the wetted zone. The installation depth affects the recommended lateral spacing as well as the amount of evaporative water loss. For a given water application, the potential rate of surface evaporation affected the shape of the wetted region only minimally. Soil texture, due to its connection to soil hydraulic conductivity and water retention, has a larger impact on the wetting geometry. In general, greater horizontal spreading occurs in fine texture soils, or in the case of layered soils, in the finer textured layers.     

Response of sugarbeets to irrigation frequency and cutoff on a clay loam soil

Summary Sugarbeets (Beta vulgaris L.) on a Panoche clay loam soil were subjected to 3 different irrigation frequencies and 3 irrigation cutoff dates prior to harvest to determine the effects on evapotranspiration, growth, and sucrose yield. Lengthening the irrigation interval from 1 to 3 weeks reduced evapotranspiration without a significant decline in sucrose production. Increased irrigation cutoff from 3 to 7 weeks prior to harvest significantly increased sucrose percentage within the root and resulted in similar total sucrose yields. Lengthening the irrigation interval only slightly reduced both fresh vegetative biomass and leaf area index (significant differences occurred only at one plant sampling date). The combination of less frequent irrigation and an early cutoff date increased the amount of soil water extracted by sugarbeets. The water use of sugarbeets can be reduced without a significant decline in sucrose production through optimizing irrigation frequency to about 14 to 20 days on this soil and cutting off irrigations about 40 to 45 days before harvest, provided irrigations replenish soil water depletions.Contribution from USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Water Management Res. Laboratory, 2021 S. Peach Avenue, Fresno, CA 93747, USA     

Effects of dispersible soil clay and algae on seepage prevention from small dams

A field experiment was conducted on a red-brown earth (Natrixeralf) to find the effectiveness of spontaneously dispersed clay from sodic soils and mechanically dispersed clay (by puddling) from calcic and sodic soils in reducing the seepage loss of water from a series of small dams (pits). The effect of inoculating algae in the pits on reducing seepage was also investigated. A plastic lined pit was used for water balance control to measure incoming rainfall and evaporative loss.The results showed the effectiveness of dispersed soil clay in sealing the surface soil materials in the banks and beds of the pits. The dispersed clays from sodic soils were very effective in reducing the seepage to zero. When the clay concentration was above 8 g L⁻¹ the sealing was complete, irrespective of spontaneous or mechanical dispersion from sodic soils. The mechanically dispersed clay from calcic soils were less effective in sealing because of the deposition of flocculated materials in the pore systems formed domains and generated microporosity. In calcic pits, the inoculation of algae reduced the seepage by 13 to 23% and increase in biopolymer (chlorophyll and polysaccharide) production was only small.     

Effects of frequency of irrigation and gypsum treatment on leaf water potential and leaf stomatal conductance of lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) grown on a heavy clay soil

Summary Concurrent diurnal measurements of water potential, osmotic potential and conductance were made on leaves of lucerne grown under weekly (W) and fortnightly (F) irrigation on gypsum-treated (G) and untreated soil (C). Measurements were made throughout the period of vegetative growth.Leaf water potentials were lower both at dawn and in the afternoon under fortnightly as compared to weekly irrigation. Gypsum application led to a slower decline in water potential under fortnightly irrigation, although the effect was small compared with more frequent irrigation. Stomatal conductance was reduced under treatments F_G and F_C during the later stages of vegetative growth, coinciding with leaf water potentials of less than c. –1.6 MPa.The relationship between leaf water potential and turgor potential changed with time such that positive turgor was maintained as leaf water potential declined. Turgor maintenance was achieved through a decrease in leaf osmotic potential. These data suggest that lucerne is capable of osmotic adjustment.Stomatal conductance declined rapidly below a leaf turgor potential of c. 0.1 MPa. It is hypothesised that osmotic adjustment enabled stomatal adjustment, which contributed to continued assimilation despite increasing soil moisture deficits.     

Effects of stage of growth,irrigation frequency and gypsum treatment on CO2 exchange of lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) grown on a heavy clay soil

Summary Effects of weekly (W) and fortnightly (F) irrigation schedules on CO₂ assimilation by lucerne grown on untreated (C) and gypsum-ameliorated (G) heavy clay soil were investigated. Leaf area limited rates of assimilation during the initial stages of regrowth, but rates of up to 9 g CO₂ m^–2 h^–1 were measured once full ground cover was achieved after approximately two weeks. High rates were maintained until the fifth week of regrowth (one week after full flower), after which there was a marked decline.During the fourth week of regrowth, afternoon rates of canopy photosynthesis under less frequent irrigation were less than those measured at similar irradiance during the morning. This was evidenced as hysteresis in the light response curves and was apparent in all treatment during the final stages of the experiment.For the first five weeks of regrowth, daytime integrals of photosynthesis were directly related to the amount of light intercepted by the crops. The mean efficiency of utilisation of light in CO₂ assimilation was 6.2 g CO₂ MJ^–1 in all treatments apart from that on untreated soil under the fortnightly irrigation regime (treatment F_C). Its mean efficiency was 5.1 g CO₂ MJ^–1. The amounts of CO₂ assimilated exceeded the growth and respiratory requirements of the above-ground components of the crops, and it was estimated that 25% and 40% of the assimilated carbon was partitioned to and retained in the roots and crowns of the weekly and fortnightly irrigated crops, respectively.Results are appraised in terms of the response of lucerne to moisture deficits. Implications for above-ground dry matter production are also discussed.     

Effects of moling and cultivation on soil-water and runoff from a drained clay soil

Flow regimes of water draining from replicated mole drained and undrained plots under different cultivation systems were examined in a 10-year study. In 9 out of 10 years, winter cereals were grown with all residues removed by burning. One crop of oil-seed rape was sown in 1985. A 2 year uniformity trial at the start of the experiment, when all plots were tine cultivated, showed that a cultivation pan exerted an important influence on soil-drainage and water movement. Once removed, effective subsurface drainage increased the depth to the water-table by an average of 215 mm over the winter, with up to 90% of the flow occurring through the mole drains. Following the imposition of differential cultivations in 1980, no discernible change in runoff was observed on plots under ploughing compared to the previous tine cultivations. In contrast, direct drilling caused higher surface runoff than ploughing due to surface compaction, although better subsoil structure development led to more rapid vertical movement of water, and especially in the years following mole drainage an increased peak drain-flow of up to 30%. Although drainage decreased the overall flood risk by as much as 16% in a 10 year return period event, cultivations were of considerable importance and direct drilling increased peak runoff by at least 70% from both drained and undrained plots.     

Drainage and vertical hydraulic conductivity of some Dutch “knik” clay soils

The vertical K-sat of a clay layer, occurring between 30 and 60 cm below the soil surface, was measured in situ in early spring at thirteen sites, using large soil columns. Gypsum was used to form a barrier around the column and K-sat values were measured with an infiltrometer in columns that were first attached and then detached from the subsoil. This procedure allows an estimate of the occurrence of large continuous pores, such as vertical worm channels. Highest values were found in tile-drained grassland, followed by grassland with surface drainage only, and by tile-drained arable land. Relatively low K-sat for the silty subsoil, rather than the (high) vertical K-sat for the clay layer, is considered to be responsible for high groundwater tables in the wet season.Undisturbed, large columns were taken to the laboratory and saturated for a period of three months to simulate prolonged swelling after a very wet season, and to measure chloride-breakthrough curves, for characterizing soil-pore continuity. The clay layer, sampled in the surface-drained grassland, showed no significant reduction of K-sat after prolonged swelling, but the one for arable land was reduced. Moreover, flow in the latter occurred through only a few relatively large, continuous pores, whereas a more heterogeneous pore system was found for the column from grassland. The already high K-sat of the clay layer in surface-drained grassland increased as a result of tile drainage. Compaction of the clay layer in tile-drained arable land reduced K-sat well below the level found in surface-drained grassland.