Seasonal water use by winter wheat grown under shallow water table conditions

Techniques for estimating seasonal water use from soil profile water depletion frequently do not account for flux below the root zone. A method using tensiometers for obtaining evapotranspiration losses from the root zone and water movement below it is discussed. Soil water flux below the root zone is approached by a sequence of pseudo steady state solutions of the flow equation. Upward soil water flux contributed 36 to 73% to the total water requirement of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) whereas soil water depletion accounted for 11 to 19% only. Water use efficiency with one irrigation during an early stage of plant development is greater than with no or three irrigations. This is the result of both decrease of resistance due to soil moistening and better root development. Tensiometer readings were also interpreted to estimate root zones, water table depths and soil moisture contents. Methods described in this paper can be used in determining seasonal water use by growing crops, replacing or supplementing lysimeter or meteorology approaches to this problem.