Soil-water regimes of a Typic Haplaquoll under conventional and no-tillage

• Published in: Soil Science Society of America journal Vol. 51; no. 6; pp. 1604 - 1610
• Main Authors: Culley, J.L.B, Larson, W.E, Allmaras, R.R, Shaffer, M.J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Madison, WI Soil Science Society of America 01-11-1987
• Subjects: Agricultural and forest climatology and meteorology. Irrigation. Drainage; Agricultural and forest meteorology; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; Biometrics, statistics, experimental designs, modeling, agricultural computer applications; Cropping systems. Cultivation. Soil tillage; DRAINAGE; DRENAJE; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; Generalities. Biometrics, experimentation. Remote sensing; LABRANZA; MODELE; MODELOS; MOUVEMENT DE L'EAU DANS LE SOL; MOVIMIENTO DEL AGUA EN EL SUELO; Physical properties; Physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology of agricultural and forest soils; REGIME HYDRIQUE DU SOL; REGIMEN HIDRICO DEL SUELO; Soil science; SOIL WATER MOVEMENT; SOIL WATER REGIMES; TILLAGE; Tillage. Tending. Growth control; TRAVAIL DU SOL; Water and solute dynamics; Water balance and requirements. Evapotranspiration; Water; Monocotyledones; Soil tillage; Zea mays; Cultivated soil; Classical system; Zero tillage; Process; Solutes; Water balance; Mollisols; Drainage; Soil water properties; Investigation method; Gramineae; Water regime; Angiospermae; Soil; Spermatophyta; Simulation model; Mathematical model; Water holding capacity; Comparative study; Macroporosity
• ISSN: 0361-5995; 1435-0661
• DOI: 10.2136/sssaj1987.03615995005100060036x

Computer simulation models are needed to help describe the dynamic nature of soil‐water regimes. A simple water budget and an integrated soil‐plant‐atmosphere simulation model (NTRM) were each evaluated for predicting water regimes under no‐till (NT) and conventional tillage (CN) of a well‐structured soil. Estimates of soil physical properties related to the retention and movement of water, which were required as input for the models, were obtained from laboratory measurements on undisturbed soil cores. An in situ drainage experiment, using Br‐ labeled water, also provided information on field capacity water retention properties. Ponded water containing Br‐ moved rapidly through the surface 0.5‐m profiles of both tillage treatments. Redistribution of the added water was effectively completed within about 8 h. Field capacity matric potentials of both profiles were above −6 kPa. Chromatography theory indicated that the labeled water may have mixed with only 43 and 25% of the initial soil water in the CN and NT profiles, respectively. Despite these observations, both models, which assumed complete mixing within each soil layer, were reasonably satisfactory at predicting soil‐water contents under corn (Zea mays L.) through the 1984 growing season at a southern Minnesota location. Output from the NTRM model agreed better with experimental data showing water contents lower under CN than NT.