Delineation of Site-Specific Management Zones Based on Temporal and Spatial Variability of Soil Electrical Conductivity

A coastal saline field of 10.5 ha was selected as the study site and 122 bulk electrical conductivity (ECb) measurements were performed thrice in situ in the topsoil (0-20 cm) across the field using a hand held device to assess the spatial variability and temporal stability of the distribution of soil electrical conductivity (EC), to identify the management zones using cluster analysis based on the spatiotemporal variability of soil EC, and to evaluate the probable potential for site-specific management in coastal regions with conventional statistics and geostatistical techniques. The results indicated high coefficients of variation for topsoil salinity over all the three samplings. The spatial structure of the salinity variability remained relatively stable with time. Kriged contour maps, drawn on the basis of spatial variance structure of the data, showed the spatial trend of the salinity distribution and revealed areas of consistently high or consistently low salinity, while a temporal stability map indicated stable and unstable regions. On the basis of the spatiotemporal characteristics, cluster analysis divided the site into three potential management zones, each with different characteristics that could have an impact on the way the field was managed. On the basis of the clearly defined management zones it was concluded that coastal saline land could be managed in a site-specific way.

The Effects of the Chemical Components of Soil Salinity on Electrical Conductivity in the Region of the Delta Oasis of Weigan and Kuqa Rivers,China

In order to assess the effects of chemical properties of soil salinity on electrical conductivity of 1：5 soil/water extract （EC1：5）, the study focused on revealing the main chemical factors contributing to EC of soil extracts and their relative importance. The relationship between EC1：5 and the chemical properties of soil salinity in the delta oasis of Weigan and Kuqa rivers, China, were studied using path coefficient analysis, a path analysis method. We studied each key element affecting EC1：5 either directly or indirectly. The results obtained show that the salt content, total dissolved solids （TDS）, and the sum of the sodium ion concentration and the kalium ion concentration are the most influential factors on 1：5 soil/ water extract （EC1：5） in the 0-10 cm and the 30-50 cm soil layer. The results show that the sequence of direct path coefficients in the 0-10 cm and the 30-50 cm soil layers on soil conductivity is TDS→Na^＋ ＋ K^＋→Salt content→Ca^2＋→Cl-→the sodium dianion ratio （SDR）→pH→ SO4^2-→HCO3^-→Mg^2＋→the soluble sodium percentage （SSP） sodium absorption ratio （SAR） and TDS→Salt content→Na^＋ ＋ K^＋→Ca^2＋→SDR→Mg^2＋→HCO3^-→SSP→pH→SO4^2-→SAR→Cl^-. The salt content, chlorine ion, and SAR are the main factors affecting 1：5 soil/water extract （EC1：5） in the 10-30 centimeter soil layer. The order of direct path coefficients result is as follows： Salt content→Cl^-→SAR→SSP→TDS→Ca^2＋→Mg^2＋= SO4^2-→HCO3^-→pH→SDR→Na^- ＋ K^＋. Moreover, the effects of HCO3^-, pH were very weak. Though the direct path coefficients between EC1：5 and SAR, SO4^2- and Ca^2＋ were not high, influence of other chemical factors caused the coefficients to increase, making the summation of their direct and indirect path coefficients relatively high. The models of the different soil layers were structured separately. Evidences showed that multiple regression relations between EC1：5 and most of the primary factors had sound reliability and very good accuracy. The research results can serve as a reference to the scientific management amelioration and utilization of saline in the Delta Oasis of Weigan and Kuqa rivers.

Influence of CO_2 Doubling on Water Transport Process at Root/Soil Interface of Pinus sylvestris var. sylvestriformis Seedlings

Water transport at the root/soil interface of 1 year old Pinus sylvestris Linn. var. sylvestriformis (Takenouchi) Cheng et C. D. Chu seedlings under CO 2 doubling was studied by measuring soil electric conductance to survey soil water profiles and comparing it with root distribution surveyed by soil coring and root harvesting in Changbai Mountain in 1999. The results were: (1) The profiles of soil water content were adjusted by root activity. The water content of the soil layer with abundant roots was higher. (2) When CO 2 concentration was doubled, water transport was more active at the root/soil interface and the roots were distributed into deeper layer. It was shown in this work that the method of measuring electric conductance is an inexpensive, non_destructive and relatively sensitive way for underground water transport process.

Effects of Drip System Uniformity and Irrigation Amount on Water and Salt Distributions in Soil Under Arid Conditions

The dynamics of water and salt in soil were monitored in the 2010 and 2011 growing seasons of cotton to evaluate the salinity risk of soil under drip irrigation in arid environments for different management practices of drip system uniformity and irrigation amount. In the experiments, three Christiansen uniformity coefficients （CU） of approximately 65, 80, and 95% （referred to as low, medium, and high uniformity, respectively） and three irrigation amounts of 50, 75, and 100% of full irrigation were used. The distribution of the soil water content and bulk electrical conductivity （ECb） was monitored continuously with approximately equally spaced frequency domain reflectometry （FDR） sensors located along a dripline. Gravimetric samples of soil were collected regularly to determine the distribution of soil salinity. A great fluctuation in CU of water content and ECb at 60 cm depth was observed for the low uniformity treatment during the irrigation season, while a relatively stable variation pattern was observed for the high uniformity treatment. The ECb CU was substantially lower than the water content CU and its value was greatly related to the water content CU and the initial ECb CU. The spatial variation of seasonal mean soil water content and seasonal mean soil bulk electrical conductivity showed a high dependence on the variation pattern of emitter discharge rate along a dripline for the low and medium uniformity treatments. A greater irrigation amount produced a significantly lower soil salinity at the end of the irrigation season, while the influence of the system uniformity on the soil salinity was insignificant at a probability level of 0.1. In arid regions, the determination of the target drip irrigation system uniformity should consider the potential salinity risk of soil caused by nonuniform water application as the influence of the system uniformity on the distribution of the soil salinity was progressively strengthened during the growing season of crop.

Effects of irrigation regimes on soil NO_(3)^(-)-N, electrical conductivity and crop yield in plastic greenhouse

Developing water-saving irrigation regimes has important practical significance not only in alleviating the crucial water shortage,but also in controlling soil salinization for the protected cultivation in eastern China.A field study with six treatments was conducted to evaluate the effects of different irrigation regimes with subdrainage systems on the soil nitrate nitrogen,salinity and moisture,also evaluate the effects on tomato growth,fruit yield and irrigation water use efficiency(IWUE).The treatments were distinguished by three different irrigation amounts of 310 mm,360 mm and 410 mm,and two irrigation frequencies of 7 and 11 times.Results showed that the irrigation amount had significant effects on the soil NO_(3)^(-)-N and electric conductivity(EC).A positive correlation was detected between soil NO_(3)^(-)-N(x)and EC(y)at 0-20 m depth after harvest,with a linear equation of y=0.063x-0.670.Soil volumetric moisture at 0.10 m and 0.20 m depth was increased as the irrigation amount increased.Moreover,a higher amount of irrigation increased the fruit yield but reduced the IWUE of tomato.It was also found that smaller irrigation amounts combined with frequent intervals could increase fruit yield and IWUE.However,the fruit quality of tomato had a significant(p<0.05)negative correlation with irrigation amount.Therefore,the parameters of irrigation regime including the irrigation amount and intervals should be considered comprehensively in order to find a compromise between salinity control and irrigation water use efficiency improvement.

Measurement of soil electrical conductivity based on direct digital synthesizer(DDS)and digital oscilloscope

A soil electrical conductivity(EC)measurement system based on direct digital synthesizer(DDS)and digital oscilloscope was developed.The system took the“current-voltage four-electrode method”as the design principal and adopted a six-pin structure of the probe,two center pins to measure the soil EC in shallow layer,two outside pins to measure the soil EC in deep layer,and two middle pins for inputting the driving current.A signal generating circuit using DDS technology was adopted to generate sine signals,which was connected with the two middle pins.A digital oscilloscope was used to record and store the two soil output signals with noises in microseconds,which were from the two center pins and two outside pins,respectively.Then a digital bandpass filter was used to filter the soil output signals recorded by the digital oscilloscope.Compared with the traditional analog filter circuit,the digital filter could filter out the noises of all frequency except for the frequency of the excitation source.It could improve the effect of filtering and the accuracy of the soil EC measurement system.The DDS circuit could provide more stable sine signals with larger amplitudes.The use of digital oscilloscope enables us to analyze the soil output signals in microseconds and measure the soil EC more accurately.The new soil EC measurement system based on DDS and digital oscilloscope can provide a new effective tool for soil sensing in precision agriculture.

Electromagnetic induction mapping at varied soil moisture reveals field-scale soil textural patterns and gravel lenses

Knowledge of the spatial distribution of soil textural properties is important for determining soil moisture storage and soil hydraulic transport properties.Capturing field heterogeneity without exhaustive sampling and costly sample analysis is difficult. Our objective was to employ electromagnetic induction(EMI) mapping in low apparent electrical conductivity(EC_a) soils at varying soil water contents to capture time invariant properties such as soil texture. Georeferenced EC_ameasurements were taken using a ground conductivity meter on six different days where volumetric water content(θ_v) varied from 0.11 to 0.23. The 50 m × 50 m field included a subsurface gravelly patch in an otherwise homogeneous silt-loam alluvial soil.Ordinary block kriging predicted EC_aat unsampled areas to produce 1-m resolution maps. Temporal stability analysis was used to divide the field into three distinct EC_a regions. Subsequent ground-truthing confirmed the lowest conductivity region correlated with coarse textured soil parent materials associated with a former high-energy alluvial depositional area. Combining maps using temporal stability analysis gives the clearest image of the textural difference. These maps could be informative for modeling,experimental design, sensor placement and targeted zone management strategies in soil science, ecology, hydrology,and agricultural applications.

Effects of water and salt coordinated regulation at the different growth stages on water consumption and yield of tomato

The objective of this study was to explore the effects of different degrees of water and salt stress on the actual water consumption and soil salt accumulation of tomatoes and the salt tolerance characteristics of tomatoes under brackish water combined with regulated deficit irrigation mode.The greenhouse pot experiment was used to set three influencing factors,the irrigation water salinity S1 was 1.1 g/L(local shallow groundwater),S2 was 2.0 g/L,and S3 was 4.0 g/L,respectively,and different degrees of water deficit(W1 ranged from 65%-75%Field Capacity(FC),W2 ranged from 55%-65%FC,W3 ranged from 45%-55%FC)and seedling stage(T1),blossoming and bearing fruits stage(T2)and mature picking stage(T3).The response of fresh fruit weight,stems and leaves weight,yield and water use efficiency of tomato under water and salt stress were monitored and analyzed.The results showed the coordinated regulation of water and salt can significantly reduce the electrical conductivity of the 0-30 cm soil of the tomato root system.The higher the salinity of irrigation water,the better the salt control effects of the coordinated regulation of water and salt;the coordinated regulation of water and salt at different growth stages had significant effects on the weight of fresh tomato fruits,the weight of stems and leaves and the yield.The salinity of irrigation water was in inverse proportion to the yield of tomatoes;In S1 treatment irrigation(irrigation water salinity was 1.1 g/L)under the mildly regulated deficit in the seedling stage(irrigation water was 55%-65%of the field water capacity)can effectively reduce the irrigation water volume during the whole growth stage while ensuring that there was no significant reduction in yield.The research results provided a scientific and reliable theoretical basis for the increase of local tomato production,the improvement of water use efficiency and the formulation of suitable irrigation patterns.