Simulation of root water uptake: II. Non-uniform transient water stress using different reduction functions

The macroscopic root water uptake approach was used in the numerical simulation model HYSWASOR to test four different pressure head-dependent reduction functions. The input parameter values were obtained from the literature and derived from extensive measurements under controlled conditions in the greenhouse. The simulation results indicated that the linear reduction function cannot fit the data satisfactorily. Most of the existing non-linear reduction functions can fit only half of the data range, while the best agreement is obtained with the non-linear two-threshold reduction function. The parameter values obtained by calibration differ only slightly from those of the experiments. Soil water pressure head heterogeneity over the root zone does not play an important role in water uptake. The roots appear to take up water from the relatively wetter parts of the root zone to compensate for the water deficit in the drier parts. While the simulated transpiration agrees closely with the experimental data, the main reason for the discrepancy between the simulated and actual water contents appears to be water uptake during the night.     

Validation of a root water uptake model to estimate transpiration constraints

Experimental results obtained from a greenhouse trial with common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) plants performed to test model hypotheses regarding the onset of limiting hydraulic conditions and the shape of the transpiration reduction curve in the falling rate phase are presented. According to these hypotheses based on simulations with an upscaled single-root model, the matric flux potential at the onset of limiting hydraulic conditions is as a function of root length density and potential transpiration rate, while the relative transpiration in the falling rate phase equals the relative matric flux potential. Transpiration of bean plants in water stressed pots with four different soils was determined daily by weighing and compared to values obtained from non-stressed pots. This procedure allowed determining the onset of the falling rate phase and corresponding soil hydraulic conditions. At the onset of the falling rate phase, the value of matric flux potential M_l showed to differ in order of magnitude from the model predicted value for three out of four soils. This difference between model and experiment can be explained by the heterogeneity of the root distribution which is not considered by the model. An empirical factor to deal with this heterogeneity should be included in the model to improve predictions. Comparing the predictions of relative transpiration in the falling rate phase using a linear shape with water content, pressure head or matric flux potential, the matric flux potential based reduction function, in agreement with the hypothesis, showed the best performance, while the pressure head based equation resulted in the highest deviations between observed and predicted values of relative transpiration rates.     

Effect of irrigation water salinity on transpiration and on leaching requirements: A case study for bell peppers

Maximization of crop yields when the salinity of irrigation water is high depends on providing plant transpiration needs and evaporative losses, as well as on maintaining minimum soil solution salinity through leaching. The effect of the amount of applied irrigation water was studied regarding transpiration, yields, and leaching fractions as a function of irrigation water salinity. Bell pepper (Capsicum annum L. vars. Celica and 7187) in protected growing environments in the Arava Valley of Israel was used as a case study crop to analyze water quantity–salinity interactions in a series of lysimeter, field and model simulation experiments. Leaching fraction was found to be highly influenced by plant feedback, as transpiration depended on root zone salinity. Increased application of saline irrigation water led to increased transpiration and yields. The higher the salinity level, the greater the relative benefit from increased leaching. The extent of leaching needed to maximize yields when irrigating with saline water may make such practice highly unsustainable.     

Solute transport modelling in soil for irrigation field experiments with alkali water

To assess the effects of alkali water use for irrigation on soil and ground water quality, experiments have been conducted. These experiments indicate how the soil solution concentrations and cation exchange complex composition change under the influence of irrigation water composition. To understand the complicated chemical processes that affect the solute transport through soil, numerical simulations have been done. The simulated solution and exchange complex compositions were compared with the results of the experiments that were performed in the field. The comparisons show a good agreement. This suggests that the dominant processes that were accounted for in the numerical simulations have been adequately identified. To investigate whether this is indeed the case, even simpler analytical solutions have been used for comparison with both the experimental and numerical results. These analytical solutions require that the concentration fronts for different cations can be decoupled. The analytical solutions describe the observations in the experiments well and support that the major processes have been identified and that model parameter values are appropriate. These results may be useful to assess long term effects of alkali water use and sodic soil reclamation.     

Time-variable soil hydraulic properties in near-surface soil water simulations for different tillage methods

Simulating near-surface soil water dynamics is challenging since this soil compartment is temporally highly dynamic as response to climate and crop growth. For accurate simulations the soil hydraulic properties have to be properly known. Although there is evidence that these properties are subject to temporal changes, they are set constant over time in most simulations studies. The objective of this study was to improve near-surface soil water simulations by accounting for time-variable hydraulic properties. Repeated tension infiltrometer measurements over two consecutive seasons were used to inversely estimate the hydraulic properties of a silt loam soil under different tillage - conventional (CT), reduced (RT), and no-tillage (NT). Simulated water dynamics with constant and time-variable hydraulic parameters were compared to observed data in terms of the soil water content and water storage in the near-surface soil profile (0-30 cm). The measurements indicate a considerable temporal variability in the saturated hydraulic conductivity, the field-saturated water content and the parameter α of the van Genuchten/Mualem model. Temporal variability was largest for CT and RT, whereas under NT, replicates of measured water contents and hydraulic properties showed a considerable large spatial variability. Simulations with time-constant hydraulic parameters led to underestimations of soil water dynamics in winter and early spring and overestimations during late spring and summer. The use of time-variable hydraulic parameters significantly improved simulation performance for all treatments, resulting in average relative errors below 13%. Since simulation results agreed with observed water dynamics in two seasons, the applicability of inversely estimated hydraulic properties for soil water simulations is demonstrated. Thus, simulations that address applied questions in agricultural water management may be improved by using time-variable hydraulic parameters. The simulated water balance indicated that RT and NT result in better water storage than CT and therefore may increase water efficiency under water-limited climatic conditions.     

Cautionary notes on the use of pedotransfer functions for estimating soil hydraulic properties

The performance of published pedotransfer functions was evaluated in terms of predicted soil water content, pressure heads, and drainage fluxes for a layered profile. The pedotransfer functions developed by Vereecken et al. (1989), Vereecken et al. (1990) were used to determine parameters of the soil hydraulic functions θ(h) and K(h) which were then used as input to SWATRER, a transient one-dimensional finite difference soil water model with root uptake capability. The SWATRER model was used to simulate the hydraulic response of a multi-layered soil profile under natural climatic boundary conditions for a period of one year. The simulations were repeated by replacing the indirectly estimated water retention characteristic by (1) local-scale, and (2) field-scale mean observed θ(h) relationships. Soil moisture contents and pressure heads simulated at different depths in the soil profile were compared to measured values using these three different sets of hydraulic functions. Drainage fluxes at one meter below ground surface have also been simulated using the same three sets of hydraulic functions. Results show that simulations based on indirectly estimated moisture retention characteristics (obtained from pedotransfer functions) overpredict the observed moisture contents throughout the whole soil profile, but predict the pressure heads at shallow depths reasonably good. The results also show that the predicted drainage fluxes based on estimated retention functions are about four times as high compared to the drainage fluxes simulated using measured retention curves.     

Modeling the effects of saline water use in wheat-cultivated lands using the UNSATCHEM model

Waters of poor quality are often used to irrigate crops in arid and semiarid regions, including the Fars Province of southwest Iran. The UNSATCHEM model was first calibrated and validated using field data that were collected to evaluate the use of saline water for the wheat crop. The calibrated and validated model was then employed to study different aspects of the salinization process and the impact of rainfall. The effects of irrigation water quality on the salinization process were evaluated using model simulations, in which irrigation waters of different salinity were used. The salinization process under different practices of conjunctive water use was also studied using simulations. Different practices were evaluated and ranked on the basis of temporal changes in root-zone salinity, which were compared with respect to the sensitivity of wheat to salinity. This ranking was then verified using published field studies evaluating wheat yield data for different practices of conjunctive water use. Next, the effects of the water application rate on the soil salt balance were studied using the UNSATCHEM simulations. The salt balance was affected by the quantity of applied irrigation water and precipitation/dissolution reactions. The results suggested that the less irrigation water is used, the more salts (calcite and gypsum) precipitate from the soil solution. Finally, the model was used to evaluate how the electrical conductivity of irrigation water affects the wheat production while taking into account annual rainfall and its distribution throughout the year. The maximum salinity of the irrigation water supply, which can be safely used in the long term (33 years) without impairing the wheat production, was determined to be 6 dS m^?1. Rainfall distribution also plays a major role in determining seasonal soil salinity of the root zone. Winter-concentrated rainfall is more effective in reducing salinity than a similar amount of rainfall distributed throughout autumn, winter, and spring seasons.     

Modelling of Soil Water Dynamics in an Irrigated Corn Field using Direct and Pedotransfer Functions for Hydraulic Properties

A simulation study of the soil waterdynamics in a corn field was carried out inan area of Northern Greece during the 1996growing period. The soil water dynamicswere evaluated using a one-dimensionalmodel based on the Galerkin finite elementmethod. The simulations were carried out ontwo plots in the field which differed as tothe amount and timing of nitrogenfertilizer application. The irrigationwater was applied to the field ininadequate quantities, which resulted inlow water availability. Two procedures forobtaining soil hydraulic properties weretested with regard to the application inthe simulations. The pedotransfer functionsdeveloped by Vereecken et al. (1989,1990) were used to determine the parametersof the soil hydraulic functions, which werethen used in the model to simulate the soilwater dynamics. The simulated results werecompared with available measurements ofwater content at different depths in thesoil during the growing period. Thequalitative and quantitative procedures formodel evaluation showed that there was goodagreement between the simulated and themeasured values of water content atdifferent depths of soil. Results show thatsimulations based on pedotransfer functionspredict the water content reasonably wellcompared to results with the directedestimated hydraulic functions.     

石羊河流域咸水灌溉对土壤物理性质的影响

为揭示咸水灌溉对土壤水力特性的影响机制,探求西北内陆干旱地区的合理灌溉模式,对石羊河流域中游地区开展制种玉米咸水灌溉田间试验,通过设置4种灌溉水矿化度水平(0.71,3.00,6.00,9.00 g/L),研究土壤盐分对土壤容重、孔隙度、质地和饱和导水率的影响.研究结果表明:对土壤进行咸水灌溉会引起土壤容重、孔隙度的改变,从而改变土壤饱和导水率.随着灌水次数的增多,各个处理土壤容重都越来越大,孔隙度越来越小,从而使得饱和导水率越来越小.此外咸水灌溉还会引起土壤质地的改变,特别是黏粒含量的增大,会使土壤饱和导水率减小.研究成果对咸水资源的高效利用及农业的可持续发展,具有重要的理论意义和实用价值.     

Model for assessing impact of salinity on soil water availability and crop yield

The salinity condition in the root zone hinders moisture extraction from soil by plants, because of osmotic potential development in soil water due to presence of salts, which ultimately, decreases transpiration of plants and thereby affects crop yield. Therefore, an effort was made in this study to quantify the impact of salinity on soil water availability to plants. The movement of salts under irrigation and evapotranspiration regimes in root zone of soil profile was studied throughout the growing season of wheat crop with adopting exponential pattern of root water uptake. A model was developed to analyze soil water balance to find out moisture deficit because of salinity. A non-linear relationship was formulated between moisture content and salt concentration for simultaneous prediction. The Crank–Nicolson method of Finite Differencing was used to solve the differential equations of soil water and solute transport. The effect of various salt concentrations on transpiration was analyzed to develop a relationship between relative evapotranspiration and relative yield. Relationships among salt concentration, matric potential, moisture deficit and actual transpiration were also established to provide better understanding about impact of salinization and to provide guidelines for obtaining better crop yields in saline soils.     

Simulation of yield decline as a result of water stress with a robust soil water balance model

The relative yield decline that is expected under specific levels of water stress at different moments in the growing period is estimated by integrating the FAO K_y approach [Doorenbos, J., Kassam, A.H., 1979. Yield response to water. FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper No. 33. Rome, Italy] in the soil water balance model BUDGET. The water stored in the root zone is determined in the soil water balance model on a daily basis by keeping track of incoming and outgoing water fluxes at its boundary. Given the simulated soil water content in the root zone, the corresponding crop water stress is determined. Subsequently, the yield decline is estimated with the K_y approach. In the K_y approach the relation between water stress in a particular growth stage and the corresponding expected yield is described by a linear function. To account for the effect of water stresses in the various growth stages, the multiplicative, seasonal and minimal approach are integrated in the model. To evaluate the model, the simulated yields for two crops under various levels of water stress in two different environments were compared with observed yields: winter wheat under three different water application levels in the North of Tunisia, and maize in three different farmers’ fields in different years in the South West of Burkina Faso. Simulated crop yields agreed well with observed yields for both locations using the multiplicative approach. The correlation value (R²) between observed and simulated yields ranged from 0.87 to 0.94 with very high modeling efficiencies. The root mean square error values are relatively small and ranged between 7 and 9%. The minimal and seasonal approaches performed significantly less accurately in both of the study areas. Estimation of yields on basis of relative transpiration performed significantly better than estimations on basis of relative evapotranspiration in Burkina Faso. A sensitivity analysis showed that the model is robust and that good estimates can be obtained in both regions even by using indicative values for the required crop and soil parameters. The minimal input requirement, the robustness of the model and its ability to describe the effect on seasonal yield of water stress occurring at particular moments in the growing period, make the model very useful for the design of deficit irrigation strategies. BUDGET is public domain software and hence freely available. An installation disk and manual can be downloaded from the web.     

Numerical evaluation of subsurface trickle irrigation with brackish water

In this study, an assessment for a proposed irrigation system in the El-Salam Canal cultivated land, Egypt, was conducted. A numerical model (HYDRUS-2D/3D) was applied to investigate the effect of irrigation amount, frequency, and emitter depth on the wetted soil volume, soil salinity levels, and deep percolation under subsurface trickle irrigation (SDI) of tomato growing with brackish irrigation water in three different soil types. The simulations indicated that lower irrigation frequency increased the wetted soil volume without significant increase in water percolates below the plant roots. Deep percolation decreased as the amount of irrigation water and emitter depth decreased. With the same amount of irrigation water, the volume of leached soil was larger at lower irrigation frequency. The salinity of irrigation water under SDI with shallow emitter depth did not show any significant effect on increasing the soil salinity above tomato crop salt tolerance. Based on the results, it appears that the use of SDI with brackish irrigation water is an effective method for growing tomato crop in El-Salam Canal cultivated land especially with shallow emitter depth.     

温室环境因子驱动甜瓜水分传输机理分析与模拟

利用人工气候室控制空气温度、相对湿度和光合有效辐射量,根据水量平衡法控制土壤含水率,按照四因素五水平的二次回归正交旋转组合设计,对甜瓜蒸腾量进行模拟,并探讨各因子调控水分传输的机制。基于Jarvis模型建立环境因素驱动的多元非线性气孔导度模型,结合水汽扩散原理建立蒸腾量模型,模型预测精度良好。探究因素交互作用及其耦合调控效应,结果表明:除相对湿度对蒸腾表现为抑制作用,土壤含水率、空气温度和光合有效辐射均对蒸腾具有促进作用;土壤含水率与空气温度的单因素效应相似,随因素水平增加,蒸腾量线性升高;光合有效辐射量驱动蒸腾的单因素效应为开口向下的二次函数,当因素水平超过阈值后,蒸腾量逐渐下降。环境因素在驱动和调控蒸腾过程中均存在密切耦合和反馈效应,土壤含水率与温度对蒸腾调控的耦合效应趋近于平滑曲面,蒸腾量随两因素水平的升高而升高,在试验水平内两因素对蒸腾表现为协同促进效应;空气相对湿度减弱了水汽扩散驱动力,进而抑制温度和土壤含水率对蒸腾的驱动作用,且这种抑制作用随相对湿度的升高而更明显。     

华北冬小麦-夏玉米农田水分动态模拟研究

冬小麦-夏玉米连作是华北地区主要的粮食作物种植模式。根据华北季节性冻土区的特点,将全年划分为作物生长期与越冬期,分别建立了作物生长条件下农田水分运移模型、冻融条件下土壤水热运移模型。前一模型主要包括参照腾发量计算、腾发量分配、作物根系吸水、土壤表面蒸发、土壤水分特征参数和土壤水分运动等子模型;后一模型主要包括冻土水热耦舍迁移、地气水热交换等子模型。应用以上模型对冬小麦-夏玉米连作条件下的土壤水分过程进行模拟,根据北京永乐店试验资料对模型进行检验。模拟了不同降水水平年、不同灌溉处理下的农田灌溉制度及土壤水分过程,分析了降水、灌溉对农田蒸散、土壤水利用、深层渗漏等的影响。     

Simulation of soil water dynamics under subsurface drip irrigation from line sources

A mathematical model which describes water flow under subsurface drip lines taking into account root water uptake, evaporation of soil water from the soil surface and hysteresis in the soil water characteristic curve θ(H) is presented. The model performance in simulating soil water dynamics was evaluated by comparing the predicted soil water content values with both those of Hydrus 2D model and those of an analytical solution for a buried single strip source. Soil water distribution patterns for three soils (loamy sand, silt, silty clay loam) and two discharge rates (2 and 4 l m⁻¹ h⁻¹) at four different times are presented. The numerical results showed that the soil wetting pattern mainly depends on soil hydraulic properties; that at a time equal to irrigation duration decreasing the discharge rate of the line sources but maintaining the applied irrigation depth, the vertical and horizontal components of the wetting front were increased; that at a time equal to the total simulation time the discharge rate has no effect on the actual transpiration and actual soil evaporation and a small effect on deep percolation. Also the numerical results showed that when the soil evaporation is neglected the soil water is more easily taken up by the plant roots.     

离心机法测定土壤水分特征曲线中的收缩特性

为了探明土壤在离心力作用下的收缩规律,开展了离心机法测定土壤水分特征曲线试验.砂壤土和黏壤土分别设定3个初始容重,以离心机法测定的数据为基础,研究了离心力变化下的土壤收缩规律,并通过van Genuchten-Mualem(VG-M)模型对2种情景模式(考虑容重变化和未考虑容重变化)下所测定的土壤水分特征曲线进行拟合,并以此估算所得的土壤水力特性参数对沟灌二维水分运动特性进行了数值模拟,同时结合室内试验对比分析了参数的合理性.结果表明,离心机转速增大,土壤含水率降低,容重随之增大,当吸力为7 000 cm时,砂壤土和黏壤土的容重分别近于1.81和1.79 g/cm³;基于土壤收缩特征曲线,供试土壤收缩过程可采用三直线模型进行表征,但各收缩段的吸力范围存在差异;与未考虑容重变化所得VG-M模型中的参数值相比,考虑土壤容重变化所得的滞留含水率θ_r和进气吸力值倒数a均增大,但形状系数n均减小;以考虑土壤容重变化所得VG-M参数为基础进行沟灌二维水分运动数值模拟,其入渗水量、湿润锋运移距离(垂直和水平)与实测值的误差绝对值均值分别为5.8%,3.0%和2.6%,较未考虑容重变化时精度分别提高了39.2%,57.2%和52.9%.因此离心机法测定土壤水分特征曲线的过程中需考虑土壤容重的变化,且以此获得的参数能够较为显著地提高数值模拟精度.     

Heat-pulse measurements of sap flow in olives for automating irrigation: tests,root flow and diagnostics of water stress

The compensation heat-pulse method for measuring sap flow is tested here in olive trees (Olea europaea L.). We describe a rigorous three-way examination of the robustness of the technique for this species, and examine the potential of the technique for an automatic control of the irrigation system. Two tests were carried out using heat-pulse gear inserted into the stem of 12-year-old ‘Manzanilla’ olive trees. One test used forced-flow through a stem section, and the other involved measured water uptake by an excised tree. The measured sap flow in these two tests was in agreement with calculations from heat-pulse velocities when using a standard ‘wound correction’ to account for the presence of the probes and the disruption to the sap flow. Thus, this technique for monitoring transpiration can, we feel, be used with confidence in olives.The third experiment was carried out in the field, where we analysed sap flow data from two 29-year-old olive trees — one tree was under regular drip irrigation and the other was from dry-farming conditions. We use measurements of sap flow in the trunk to examine the hydraulic functioning of the tree, and to explore some diagnostics of water stress. Our heat-pulse measurements in the irrigated olive tree exhibited a profile of sap flow that was weighted towards the outer xylem of the tree trunk while the water-stressed trees in the field showed a profile of sap flow weighted towards the centre of the trunk. The loss of hydraulic functioning in the outermost section of the vascular system, as a result of water stress, we consider to be due both to stomatal control and to embolisms in the xylem vessels.The fourth experiment was also carried out in the field, in which sap flow measurements were made at three locations in the trunk as well as in two roots of another 29-year-old olive tree. The soil explored by each root, on opposite sides of the trunk, was differentially wetted by separate irrigation of each side. Our data showed that the surface roots were able to absorb water immediately after wetting, despite a reasonably prolonged period of moderate drought. Root activity quickly shifted to the regions where the soil had been wetted. A root in dry soil exhibited no flow at night, whereas sap flows of about 0.02 l h⁻¹ were measured around midnight in the root drawing water from the wetter soil. Our observations suggest that the hydraulic behaviour of the trunk and surface roots might be used as a diagnostic of the onset, or severity, of water stress. Here there is not the imperative to replicate, for the prime goal is not transpiration estimation. Rather interpretation of the diurnal dynamics is used to infer the onset, or severity of water stress.The compensation heat-pulse seems a suitable technique for automatically controlling the irrigation system of olives, and probably other trees, based either on the estimation of the short-time dynamics of transpiration, or on changes in the hydraulic behaviour of the trees.     

Modelling of root ABA synthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration and potato production under water saving irrigation regimes

Application of water saving irrigation strategies in agriculture has become increasingly important. Both modelling and experimental work are needed to gain more insights into the biological and physical mechanisms in the soil-plant system, which regulates water flow in the system and plays a central role in reducing crop transpiration. This paper presented a mechanistic model (Daisy) developed based on data obtained in the SAFIR project on measured leaf gas exchange and soil water dynamics in irrigated potato crops grown in a semi-field environment subjected to different irrigation regimes. Experimental data was compared to simulated results from the new enhanced Daisy model which include modelling 2D soil water flow, abscisic acid (ABA) signalling and its effect on stomatal conductance and hence on transpiration and assimilation, and finally crop yield. The results demonstrated that the enhanced Daisy model is capable of simulating the mechanisms underlying the water saving effects of the partial root-zone drying (PRD) irrigation as compared with the conventional full irrigation (FI). However the simulated effect on both crop yield and water use in this particular experiment was negligible indicating more experimental studies are necessary in order to improve on the model.     

Modeling the soil water balance based on time-dependent hydraulic conductivity under different tillage practices

A simulation model with time-dependent hydraulic conductivity parameters was used to predict the effects of three different tillage practices: conventional tillage (CT), no-tillage (NT) and subsoiling tillage (ST) on the components of the soil water balance during the summer maize growing season. The predictive capability of the model was improved, particularly for the subsoiling tillage case. The simulation results show that temporal changes in soil hydraulic conductivity induced by different tillage practices can affect percolation, water storage, transpiration and evaporation. Differences in the simulated components of the water balance were found to be small between CT and NT practices, but larger in the ST case. Compared with the conventional and no-tillage methods, subsoiling promotes infiltration and deep percolation, thereby favoring a possible recharge of the groundwater. Actual evaporation is always lower in the subsoiled plots, whatever the hydrological year. Transpiration is similar for the three treatments, suggesting no significant differences in water availability, except in wet years where it is higher in subsoiled soils.     

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.