In-Situ Estimation of Soil Water Retention Curve in Silt Loam and Loamy Sand Soils at Different Soil Depths

The soil water retention curve (SWRC) shows the relationship between soil water (θ) and water potential (ψ) and provides fundamental information for quantifying and modeling soil water entry, storage, flow, and groundwater recharge processes. While traditionally it is measured in a laboratory throug...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2021-01, Vol.21 (2), p.447
Main Authors: Zeitoun, Reem, Vandergeest, Mark, Vasava, Hiteshkumar Bhogilal, Machado, Pedro Vitor Ferrari, Jordan, Sean, Parkin, Gary, Wagner-Riddle, Claudia, Biswas, Asim
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Efficiency
Entrapment
field capacity
Groundwater recharge
Hydraulics
Hydrology
Irrigation
Laboratories
Loam soils
matric potential
Methods
parametric models
Parametric statistics
permanent wilting
Scheduling
Sensors
Silt loam
Soil sciences
soil water content
Soil water storage
Water measurement
Water shortages
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Summary:The soil water retention curve (SWRC) shows the relationship between soil water (θ) and water potential (ψ) and provides fundamental information for quantifying and modeling soil water entry, storage, flow, and groundwater recharge processes. While traditionally it is measured in a laboratory through cumbersome and time-intensive methods, soil sensors measuring in-situ θ and ψ show strong potential to estimate in-situ SWRC. The objective of this study was to estimate in-situ SWRC at different depths under two different soil types by integrating measured θ and ψ using two commercial sensors: time-domain reflectometer (TDR) and dielectric field water potential (e.g., MPS-6) principles. Parametric models were used to quantify θ-ψ relationships at various depths and were compared to laboratory-measured SWRC. The results of the study show that combining TDR and MPS-6 sensors can be used to estimate plant-available water and SWRC, with a mean difference of -0.03 to 0.23 m m between the modeled data and laboratory data, which could be caused by the sensors' lack of site-specific calibration or possible air entrapment of field soil. However, consistent trends (with magnitude differences) indicated the potential to use these sensors in estimating in-situ and dynamic SWRC at depths and provided a way forward in overcoming resource-intensive laboratory measurements.
ISSN:1424-8220
1424-8220
DOI:10.3390/s21020447