Soil Wetting Patterns and Water Distribution as Affected by Irrigation for Uncropped Ridges and Furrows

The ridge-furrow tillage combined with furrow irrigation is being more widely applied and has been shown to be effective in the Loess Plateau of China. Accurate characterization of water infiltration behavior under ridge-furrow irrigation could provide guidelines and criteria for future irrigation system design and operation. Our objective was to investigate soil water behavior during ponding infiltration in a cross-sectional ridge-furrow configuration. Soil water movement within three different soil textures was tested by tracking the spatial and temporal soil water content(SWC) variations in a soil chamber. The two-dimensional transient flow initially transferred rapidly, but gradually decreased with elapsed infiltration time, approaching a stable flow after 90 min. A technical parameter equation incorporating the Philip equation was developed using the water balance method to accurately predict total applied water volume(TAWV). The wetting patterns moved outward in an elliptical shape. The wetted lateral and downward distances fitted using equations accounted for capillary and gravitational driving forces in variably wetted soil media. Increasing initial SWC resulted in an increase in wetted soil volume, which can also be caused by decreasing bulk density in a homogeneous soil. Higher water level produced greater wetted lateral distance and more irrigation uniformity. The wetted lateral distance was almost identical to the wetted depth in silty clay loam soil; hence ridge-furrow irrigation should be implemented in such finer-textured soils. The wetted soil volume differed markedly among different soil textures(hydraulic properties), demonstrating that these properties can largely determine soil water spreading patterns and distribution.

Grain yield and water use efficiency of super rice under soil water deficit and alternate wetting and drying irrigation

This study investigated if super rice could better cope with soil water deficit and if it could have better yield performance and water use efficiency （WUE） under alternate wetting and drying （AWD） irrigation than check rice. Two super rice cultivars and two elite check rice cultivars were grown in pots with three soil moisture levels, well watered （WW）, moderate water deficit （MWD） and severe water deficit （SWD）. Two cultivars, each for super rice and check rice, were grown in field with three irrigation regimes, alternate wetting and moderate drying （AWMD）, alternate wetting and severe drying （AWSD） and conventional irrigation （CI）. Compared with that under WW, grain yield was significantly decreased under MWD and SWD treatments, with less reduction for super rice than for check rice. Super rice had higher percentage of productive tillers, deeper root distribution, higher root oxidation activity, and greater aboveground biomass production at mid and late growth stages than check rice, especially under WMD and WSD. Compared with CI,AWMD increased, whereasAWSD decreased grain yield, with more increase or less decrease for super rice than for check rice. Both MWD and SWD treatments and eitherAWMD orAWSD regime significantly increased WUE compared with WW treatment or CI regime, with more increase for super rice than for check rice. The results suggest that super rice has a stronger ability to cope with soil water deficit and holds greater promising to increase both grain yield and WUE by adoption of moderate AWD irrigation.

Triangle Method for Estimating Soil Surface Wetness from Satellite Imagery in Allahabad District, Uttar Pradesh, India

Soil surface wetness is indispensable land surface parameter in agriculture, hydrology and environmental engineering. This paper explores the relationship between surface radiant temperature and fractional vegetation cover derived from satellite imagery to estimate soil surface wetness (triangle method) in Allahabad district. The pixel distributions create triangular shapes because the range of surface radiant temperature decreases as the amount of vegetation cover increases and sufficient number of pixels exists. A very weak correlation is found between the simulated soil surface wetness and ground measured soil moisture at deeper soil layers (R2 < 0.15) on all the dates under investigation. This is because the drying rates at the surface discontinue to be linearly correlated to that at lower levels (depths). The standing water pixels distort the shape of the triangle especially at lower left edge of the triangle. This distortion is removable. The spatial and temporal inhomogeneity of soil surface wetness is examined.

Wet and Dry Season Effects on Select Soil Nutrient Contents of Upland Farms in North Bank Region of the Gambia

The study was conducted in three villages of North Bank Region of the Gambia in 2013 and 2014. We examined wet and dry season effects on select soil nutrient contents of upland farms in North Bank Region of the Gambia. The objective was to evaluate changes in soil nutrient contents in both wet and dry seasons. Soil samples were collected from three RCBD upland fields with three replications at a depth of 0 - 15 cm and analyzed for pH, Soil Organic Carbon (SOC), and soil moisture content. The gravimetric method of moisture estimation was used. The results showed that soil moisture content, soil TN, and soil pH are significantly different (P < 0.05) during the two seasons. There was no significant difference in SOC between the two seasons in the study area. The study concluded that soil nutrients were more readily available during the wet season than during the dry season probably because there is more soil moisture available in the wet season that facilitates soil nutrient release. The study concludes that soil moisture has to be available in order for some select soil nutrients to be released for plant uptake.

Does overshoot in leaf development of ponderosa pine in wet years leads to bark beetle outbreaks on fine-textured soils in drier years?

Background： Frequent outbreaks of insects and diseases have been recorded in the native forests of western North America during the last few decades, but the distribution of these outbreaks has been far from uniform. In some cases, recent climatic variations may explain some of this spatial variation along with the presence of expansive forests composed of dense, older trees. Forest managers and policy makers would benefit if areas especially prone to disturbance could be recognized so that mitigating actions could be taken. Methods： We use two ponderosa pine-dominated sites in western Montana, U.S.A. to apply a modeling approach that couples information acquired via remote sensing, soil surveys, and local weather stations to assess where bark beetle outbreaks might first occur and why. Although there was a general downward trend in precipitation for both sites over the period between 1998 and 2010 （slope =-1.3, R2 = 0.08）, interannual variability was high. Some years showed large increases followed by sharp decreases. Both sites had similar topography and fire histories, but bark beetle activity occurred earlier （circa 2000 to 2001） and more severely on one site than on the other. The initial canopy density of the two sites was also similar, with leaf area indices ranging between 1.7-2.0 m2. m-2. We wondered if the difference in bark beetle activity was related to soils that were higher in clay content at site I than at site II. To assess this possibility, we applied a process-based stand growth model （3-PG） to analyze the data and evaluate the hypotheses. Results： We found that when wet years were followed by drier years, the simulated annual wood production per unit of leaf area, a measure of tree vigor, dropped below a critical threshold on site I but not on site II. Conclusion： We concluded that the difference in vulnerability of the two stands to beetle outbreaks can be explained largely by differences in gross photosynthesis attributed to the fact that an equivalent amount of stored water in the rooting zone （100 mm） is extracted less efficiently from fine-textured soils than from coarse-textured ones.

Urban Soil Compaction Remediation by Shallow Tillage and Compost in Hydroseeded Lawn

Construction activities often involve removal of topsoil and compaction of the exposed soil by heavy equipments. Such compacted soils with low organic matter can lead to low infiltration and poor vegetation establishment. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of tillage (shallow till) and compost on soil physical and biological properties in a hydroseeded lawn as a post-construction best management practice for soil compaction remediation. The experimental site received a total of four land treatments in five replicated trials and it was hydroseeded with common Bermuda grass: 1) No Tillage + Compost (NT-C), 2) No Tillage + No Compost (NT-NC;control), 3) Tillage + Compost (T-C), and 4) Tillage + No Compost (T-NC). Bulk density (BD), infiltration rate (IR), and wet aggregate stability (WAS) in each plot were measured to assess soil physical properties while soil organic matter (SOM) and enzyme activity (β-glucosidase, acid-phosphatase, and alkaline-phosphatase) were measured for soil biological properties. Over a 15-months of monitoring period, the shallow tillage loosened the soil initially, but its effect on BD without compost was diminished to control plot level (NT-NC) within 4 months after hydroseeding. Both tillage and compost led to an increase in IR, and it remained higher than control by 2 - 3 times throughout the observation period. The WAS and β-glucosidase activity decreased in tilled plot unless there was compost application. Turfgrass showed greener leaves and aggregated roots in the compost-amended plots (NT-C and T-C). Our results suggest that compost application plays a key role in improving soil physical and biological properties in hydroseeded lawns from construction sites.

Study on potential evapotranspiration and wet-dry condition in the seasonal frozen soil region of northern Tibetan Plateau

This study was based on the CEOP/CAMP-Tibet observed data at AWS （Automatic Weather Station） of MS3478 in the seasonal frozen soil region of northern Tibetan Plateau from March 2007 to February 2008. The variation characteristics of PE （potential evapotransph＇ation） were analyzed based on the Penman-Monteith method recommended by FAO （the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Na- lions）. The contributions of dynamic, thermal and water factors to PE were discussed, and the wet-dry condition of the plateau region was further studied. The results indicated that daily PE was between 0.52 mm and 6.46 mm for the whole year. Monthly PE was over 107 mm from May to September, but decreased to less than 41 mm from November to February. Annual PE was 1,037.8mm. In the summer, thermal PE was significantly more than dynamic PE, but conversely in the winter. Annual variation of thermal PE was of sine wave pattern. In addition, drought and semi-drought climate lasted for a long time while semi-humid climate was short. The effect of water and dynamic factors on PE varied considerably with the seasons. Annual variation of thermal PE was of sine wave pattern.

Characteristics of In-Situ Soil Water Hysteresis Observed through Multiple-Years Monitoring

A soil water retention curve (SWRC) is an essential soil physical property for analyzing transport and retention of water in a soil layer. A SWRC is often described as a single-valued function that relates the soil water potential ψ to volumetric water content θ of the soil. However, an in-situ ψ − θ relation should show soil water hysteresis, though this fact is often neglected in analyses of field soil water regimes while long-term in-situ soil water hysteresis is not well characterized. This study aimed at probing and characterizing in-situ ψ − θ relations. The developments of large hysteresis in the in-situ ψ − θ relations were observed only a few times during the study period of 82 months. Any of the large hysteretic behaviors in the ψ − θ relations began with an unusually strong continual reduction in ψ. The completion of a hysteresis loop required a recorded maximum rainfall. Because the study field had very small chances to meet such strong rainfall events, it took multiple years to restore the fraction of soil water depleted by the unusually strong continual reduction in ψ. While wetting-drying cycles had occurred within a certain domain of ψ, hysteretic behaviors tended to be so small that the in-situ ψ − θ relation can be approximated as a single-valued function of θ(ψ). These observed patterns of the in-situ ψ − θ relations were characterized by kinds of difference in dθ/dψ between a drying process and a wetting process at a given ψ. Thus, more amounts of experimental facts about wetting SWRCs in parallel with drying SWRCs should be needed for correct modelling, analyzing, and predicting soil water regimes in fields. It is also necessary to increase our understandings about the long-term trends of occurrences of extreme weather conditions associated with possible change in climate.

Soil micro-penetration resistance as an index of its infiltration processes during rainfall

Rainfall infiltration is one of the most important driving factors of geological hazards, ecological environment problems, and engineering accidents. Understanding the principle of soil wetting during rainfall infiltration and its influence on soil mechanical properties is crucial for preventing geological hazards. In this study, micro-penetration tests coupled with moisture monitoring were performed to investigate the infiltration process during wetting through the measured change in mechanical characteristics. Results show that penetration resistance increases in the deep layer gradually. With increasing infiltration time,the wetting front keeps moving downward, and its range becomes wider. A slight increase of the penetration resistance in the shallow layer(d ≤ 17.5 mm) is observed. However, the penetration resistance in the middle layer(22.5 mm ≤ d ≤ 32.5 mm) decreases firstly before a slight increase. In the deep layer(d ≥ 37.5 mm), the penetration resistance decreases continuously during infiltration. Based on the measured water content profile during infiltration, it is found that the evolution of soil mechanical characteristics is fully responsible by the infiltration-induced re-distribution of water content along depth. Generally, the penetration resistance decreases exponentially with increasing water content in the soil. When the water content is low, wetting can weaken soil strength significantly, whereas this effect diminishes when the moisture surpasses a certain threshold. The results highlight that the penetration curves and water content profile show close inter-dependency and consistency, which verifies the feasibility of using micro-penetration to investigate rainfall infiltration and wetting process in surface soil layer or laboratory small-scale soil samples. This method enables fast, versatile and high-resolution measurements of infiltration process and moisture distribution in soil.

基于WET的银北地区盐渍土分布特征研究

首次应用WET土壤水分温度电导率速测仪(简称WET)测试了银川平原北部地区(简称银北地区)土壤的电导率等参数,分析银北地区土壤盐渍化分布特征,结果表明银北地区少部分地区土壤属于非盐渍土,其余均为盐渍土。其中惠农区中部、平罗的黄渠桥和灵沙均属于重盐渍化区,贺兰北部也属于重盐渍化区,但不及惠农区严重。与以往研究成果对比分析发现在土壤含水率、土壤pH值等相关参数变化不大的情况下,基于WET的土壤盐渍化研究在技术上是准确可靠的。

基于WET的红寺堡灌区土壤盐渍化分布特征研究

宁夏中北部黄河灌区的土壤盐渍化问题已经成为影响宁夏农业生产的重要问题之一,红寺堡灌区是宁夏扶贫扬黄灌溉工程重点开发的新灌区,土壤盐渍化问题尤为严重,急需治理改良。本文分析了潜水位埋深、地质、水文地质条件等与土壤盐渍化的关系;同时,在宁夏首次应用WET土壤水分温度电导率速测仪(以下简称WET)测试了灌区土壤的电导率等参数,对土壤盐渍化进行了评价。结果表明:在红寺堡灌区,潜水埋深自北向南逐渐增大,TDS浓度自北向南逐渐减小,全盐量的变化也是由北向南逐渐减小。地下水位埋深浅,地下水TDS值高的区域土壤盐渍化严重。在红寺堡镇、海子塘、甜水河脑及上游地段土壤全盐量达到了区内最大值,这些地区土壤盐渍化严重,其中甜水河脑及上游地段属于重盐渍化区。

基于WET的中卫南山台子盐渍土分布特征研究

土壤盐渍化是一个世界性的生态问题和资源问题,给人类社会带来了严重的生态危害和经济损失。中卫南山台子属于扬黄灌区,土壤盐渍化危害不断加剧,甚至出现了部分农田荒芜现象,急需治理改良。本文分析了潜水位埋深、地质、水文地质条件等与土壤盐渍化的关系;同时,在宁夏首次应用WET土壤水分温度电导率速测仪(以下简称WET)测试了灌区土壤的电导率等参数,对盐渍土分布进行了评价。结果表明,研究区内黄河冲积平原区潜水埋深浅,TDS浓度整体呈现出西部地区大于东部地区;全盐量的分布情况也是西部地区整体高于东部地区。地下水位埋深浅,地下水TDS值高的区域土壤盐渍化严重。在黄河冲积平原南部边界及漫滩区部分区域全盐量较大,盐渍化较严重,属于中盐渍土,南山台子大部分属于非盐渍土。

Assessment of soil erodibility and aggregate stability for different parts of a forest road

We measured erodibility and mean weight diameter （MWD） of soil aggregates in different parts of a forest road. Samples of topsoil were collected from cutslope, fillslope, road surface and forest ground to assess the texture, bulk density, moisture, CaCO3 and organic matter. Soil aggregate stability was determined by wet sieving. Soil erodibility on the road surface was 2.3 and 1.3 times higher than on the fillslope and cutslope, respectively. The forest soil had the lowest erodibility. Aggregate stability of cutslope and road surface were low and very low, respectively. There was a significant negative relationship between cutslope erodibility with CaCO3 and sand content. Cutslope erodibility increased with increasing silt, clay and moisture content. On fillslopes, MWD increased with in-creasing rock fragment cover, plant cover, litter cover, organic matter and sand. There was a strong negative correlation between fillslope erodibility and organic matter, sand and MWD. There was no significant difference between erodibility of bare soil and soils beneathRubus hyrcanusL. and Philonotis marchica （Hedw.） Brid.

Suction variations and soil fabric of swelling compacted soils

This study addresses firstly the soil fabric variations of loose and dense compacted soil samples during a single wetting/drying cycle at suctions between 0 and 287.9 MPa using mainly the mercury intrusion porosimetry（MIP） tests.Two suction techniques were employed to apply this wide suction range：the osmotic technique for suctions less than 8.5 MPa,and the vapor equilibrium or salt solution technique for suctions higher than 8.5 MPa.Secondly,the soil water retention curves（SWRCs） were predicted by the MIP test results for both loose and dense soil samples.A reasonable correspondence between MIP results and SWRCs was found on the wetting path at lower suctions close to saturation and on drying path at higher suctions.

Carbon fixation and influencing factors of biological soil crusts in a revegetated area of the Tengger Desert,northern China

Biological soil crusts （BSCs） are an important type of land cover in arid desert landscapes and play an important role in the carbon source-sink exchange within a desert system. In this study, two typical BSCs, moss crusts and algae crusts, were selected from a revegetated sandy area of the Tengger Desert in northern China, and the experiment was carried out over a 3-year period from January 2010 to November 2012. We obtained the effec- tive active wetting time to maintain the physiological activity of BSCs basing on continuous field measurements and previous laboratory studies on BSCs photosynthesis and respiration rates. And then we developed a BSCs carbon fixation model that is driven by soil moisture. The results indicated that moss crusts and algae crusts had significant effects on soil moisture and temperature dynamics by decreasing rainfall infiltration. The mean carbon fixation rates of moss and algae crusts were 0.21 and 0.13 g C/（m2.d）, respectively. The annual carbon fixations of moss crusts and algae crusts were 64.9 and 38.6 g C/（m2.a）, respectively, and the carbon fixation of non-rainfall water reached 11.6 g C/（m2.a） （30.2% of the total） and 8.8 g C/（m2.a） （43.6% of the total）, respectively. Finally, the model was tested and verified with continuous field observations. The data of the modeled and measured CO2 fluxes matched notably well. In desert regions, the carbon fixation is higher with high-frequency rainfall even the total amount of seasonal rainfall was the same.

干湿循环作用下剑麻纤维加筋膨胀土的抗裂作用及影响因素

为研究干湿循环作用下纤维加筋膨胀土的抗裂效果,分别开展了素土和剑麻纤维加筋膨胀土的干湿循环试验,并采用图像处理技术提取试样表面裂隙参数,分析了剑麻纤维含量及长度、干湿循环次数、试样含水率对裂隙发育的影响.结果表明:1)剑麻纤维加筋膨胀土具有较好的抗裂性能,且剑麻纤维的掺入对膨胀土的裂隙率和裂隙平均宽度影响较大,相较于素土试样,最优加筋土试样的裂隙率和裂隙平均宽度均比素土试样减小了约1/2.2)纤维长度相同时,随着纤维含量的增大,裂隙率、裂隙总长度、裂隙平均宽度和分形维数均呈先减小后增大的趋势,且纤维含量为0.4%时各参数值最小;纤维含量相同时,纤维长度对各裂隙参数影响不大.3)随着干湿循环次数的增加,加筋土和素土试样裂隙参数均呈逐渐增大趋势,但纤维加筋土裂隙率和裂隙平均宽度的增大幅度均比素土小;从第5次干湿循环开始,各裂隙参数增长趋缓.4)单次脱湿过程中,试样含水率由20%降至10%时,裂隙急剧发育,且素土裂隙的发育对含水率的变化更加敏感,含水率低于10%时,随着含水率的减小,试样裂隙率变小并趋于稳定;相同含水率条件下,剑麻纤维加筋土具有更好的抗裂性能.5)剑麻纤维加筋膨胀土的抗裂机理主要表现在两方面,一方面是剑麻纤维的掺入增大了膨胀土的渗透系数,促进了试样内水分的均匀分布,减小了试样各处的胀缩差异;另一方面纵横交错的剑麻纤维约束了聚集体之间大孔隙的收缩.

干湿循环下木质素改良粉土抗剪强度特性

为克服粉土强度低、干湿循环性能差的特点,同时解决固体废弃物木质素的资源化利用的问题,将木质素掺入粉土中,形成木质素改良粉土。为研究木质素改良粉土抗剪强度特性及干湿循环性能,对经历干湿循环后的木质素改良粉土进行直接剪切试验和X射线衍射试验,研究了木质素掺量0、2%、5%、8%、12%、15%和干湿循环0、1、2、3、4次对改良土抗剪强度特性的影响。结果表明:掺入木质素可以显著提升粉土的抗剪强度及干湿循环性能;一定干湿循环次数下,改良土的抗剪强度及黏聚力随着木质素掺量的增加先增大后降低,内摩擦角随着木质素掺量的增加先快速增大后基本不变;当木质素掺量为8%时,改良土的抗剪强度、黏聚力和内摩擦角最高。改良土的抗剪强度、黏聚力和内摩擦角均随着干湿循环次数的增加而降低,当木质素掺量为0时,纯土试样经过1次干湿循环即崩解,强度损失率为100%;当木质素掺量为8%时,改良土的强度损失率最低,黏聚力及内摩擦角的降低幅度均较低。X射线衍射试验表明,木质素掺量为8%时,石英、方解石、白云石含量最高,黏土矿物含量较高,钠长石含量最低,这是造成改良土强度及干湿循环性能提升的直接原因。结果显示,当木质素掺量为8%时,改良土在提高抗剪强度及干湿循环性能方面具有明显优势。研究结果可为实际施工设计提供理论支撑。

干湿循环作用下融雪剂对玻璃纤维水泥土力学性能影响的试验研究

为研究在干湿循环作用下不同种类融雪剂对玻璃纤维水泥土力学性能的影响,制备浓度为0.2mol/L的醋酸钾、氯化镁和硫酸钠溶液作为融雪剂溶液,将养护后的无纤维水泥土和有纤维水泥土试块在不同种类的融雪剂溶液中浸泡3d,然后将试块取出放入烘干箱内分别进行8~10次干湿循环。进而分析融雪剂类型、干湿循环次数对试块表面破坏状态、强度和质量等的影响。试验结果表明:经过10次干湿循环后,醋酸钾融雪剂溶液对试块质量和强度的影响程度小于氯化镁溶液和硫酸钠溶液,说明醋酸钾融雪剂对水泥土侵蚀作用较小;试块表面裂纹随着干湿循环次数的增加逐渐增多加深,在经历相同干湿循环次数后,有纤维水泥土试块的裂纹发展程度、质量损失率和强度损失率均低于无纤维水泥土试块,说明通过添加玻璃纤维可有效提高水泥土抗干湿循环和融雪剂侵蚀的能力。

A Revisit to the Swedish Wet Compaction Method—A Case Study of the Burvattnet Dam Reconstruction

The Swedish Wet compaction method allows soil compaction at higher water content than conventional Dry compaction methods and can be used to advantage when difficulties arise in keeping to a certain Dry compaction water content. Wet compaction was frequently applied for dam core soils of glacial till (moraine) up until late 1970s, and despite several advantages it is since no longer used in engineering practice. During the reconstruction of Burvattnet Main Dam in Sweden, the lack of dry core soil together with severe weather conditions made Dry compaction almost impossible. On the basis of laboratory compaction tests performed in compliance with the standard from the 1950s, and field compaction trials on site, this paper describes the steps taken to revisit the Wet compaction method, which made it possible to continue the filling works in keeping with the timeline of the project.

巴东组泥岩重塑土湿胀特性宏细观跨尺度研究

针对泥岩地区高速铁路路基上拱问题,以郑万高速铁路沿线巴东组泥岩风化土为研究对象,开展不同初始含水率、干密度、上覆荷载及干湿循环次数条件下泥岩重塑土湿胀特性宏细观试验。基于多因素从宏细观角度对泥岩膨胀性进行了试验验证,对维护膨胀土区域工程稳定性有一定借鉴作用。结果表明:泥岩重塑土无荷膨胀率随着初始含水率的增加线性减小,随着初始干密度的增加呈指数增长;上覆荷载作用抑制了泥岩重塑土的膨胀变形;干湿循环作用下,泥岩重塑土膨胀率及吸水量均随干湿循环次数的增多而总体上先增加后减小,强度劣化,泥岩内部结构由致密变为疏松,矿物颗粒吸水膨胀,试样内部大尺寸孔隙逐渐形成。