Root length density distribution and associated soil water dynamics for tomato plants under furrow irrigation in a solar greenhouse

Furrow irrigation is a traditional widely-used irrigation method in the world. Understanding the dynamics of soil water distribution is essential to developing effective furrow irrigation strategies, especially in water-limited regions. The objectives of this study are to analyze root length density distribution and to explore soil water dynamics by simulating soil water content using a HYDRUS-2D model with consideration of root water uptake for furrow irrigated tomato plants in a solar greenhouse in Northwest China. Soil water contents were also in-situ observed by the ECH_2O sensors from 4 June to 19 June and from 21 June to 4 July, 2012. Results showed that the root length density of tomato plants was concentrated in the 0–50 cm soil layers, and radiated 0–18 cm toward the furrow and 0–30 cm along the bed axis. Soil water content values simulated by the HYDRUS-2D model agreed well with those observed by the ECH_2O sensors, with regression coefficient of 0.988, coefficient of determination of 0.89, and index of agreement of 0.97. The HYDRUS-2D model with the calibrated parameters was then applied to explore the optimal irrigation scheduling. Infrequent irrigation with a large amount of water for each irrigation event could result in 10%–18% of the irrigation water losses. Thus we recommend high irrigation frequency with a low amount of water for each irrigation event in greenhouses for arid region. The maximum high irrigation amount and the suitable irrigation interval required to avoid plant water stress and drainage water were 34 mm and 6 days, respectively, for given daily average transpiration rate of 4.0 mm/d. To sum up, the HYDRUS-2D model with consideration of root water uptake can be used to improve irrigation scheduling for furrow irrigated tomato plants in greenhouses in arid regions.

Performance of ground penetrating radar in root detection and its application in root diameter estimation under controlled conditions

A plant is stabilized by its root system. In congested urban cities such as Hong Kong, ground trenching is frequently seen due to the installation of utility lines along the roadside. Soil nailing, which involves soil coring in slopes, is a common solution to improve the slope stability. However, both activities inevitably pose a risk to the integrity of any root sys- tems present, and thus reduce the root anchorage. To prevent or minimize such damage, a careful design of the excava- tion/drilling location is of prime importance. Ground penetrating radar （GPR） provides a non-destructive method for locating roots by examining the contrast between the dielectric properties of the roots and the surrounding soil. To examine the perfor- mance of GPR and promote its use in Hong Kong, a test bed was prepared using local materials to create a controlled envi- ronment in which to conduct a series of systematic tests evaluating the performance of a 900 MHz GPR. The reflected radar- grams were subject to the influence of the following factors： size and depth of roots, horizontal distance between roots, and contrast between the root and soil water content. Correlations between root size and a number of waveform parameters were also explored. Limiting values for root size, root embedded depth, horizontal separation distance between roots, and water content contrast between root and soil were obtained. A significant correlation was found between the root diameter and time travel parameter T2 （p〈0.001, t=0.795）. Because GPR root detection is highly site-specific, this study provides a local refer- ence for GPR performance in the Hong Kong environment. The findings demonstrate that the 900 MHz GPR is applicable in Hong Kong for the detection of main roots.