Skip to content
Licensed Unlicensed Requires Authentication Published by De Gruyter August 31, 2017

Soil moisture distribution mapping in topsoil and its effect on maize yield

  • Gábor Milics EMAIL logo , Attila J. Kovács , Attila Pörneczi , Anikó Nyéki , Zoltán Varga , Viliam Nagy , Ľubomír Lichner , Tamás Németh , Gábor Baranyai and Miklós Neményi
From the journal Biologia

Abstract

Soil moisture content directly influences yield. Mapping within field soil moisture content differences provides information for agricultural management practices.

In this study we aimed to find a cost-effective method for mapping within field soil moisture content differences. Spatial coverage of the field sampling or TDR method is still not dense enough for site-specific soil management. Soil moisture content can be calculated by measuring the apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa) using the Veris Soil EC-3100 on-the-go soil mapping tool. ECa is temperature dependent; therefore values collected in different circumstances were standardized to 25°C temperature (EC25). Constants for Archie’s adjusted law were calculated separately, using soil temperature data. According to our results, volumetric moisture content can be mapped by applying ECa measurements in our particular field with high spatial accuracy. Even though within-field differences occure in the raw ECa map standardization to EC25 is recommended.

Soil moisture map was also compared to yield map showing correlation (R2 = 0.5947) between the two datasets.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Institute of Hydrology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, the Hungarian Institute of Agricultural Engineering of the Ministry of Rural Development for providing equipment needed for the experiment. This research was founded by VKSZ_12-l-2013-0034 “Agricultural Climate” Competitiveness and Excellence Contract project.

References

Corwin D.L. & Rhoades J.D. 1982. An improved technique for determining soil electrical conductivity-depth relations from above-ground electromagnetic measurements. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 46: 517–520.10.2136/sssaj1982.03615995004600030014xSearch in Google Scholar

Corwin D.L. & Lesch S.M. 2003. Application of soil electrical conductivity to precision agriculture. Theory, principles and guidelines. Agron J. 95: 455–71.10.2134/agronj2003.0455Search in Google Scholar

Corwin D.L. & Lesch S.M. 2005. Apparent electrical conductivity measurements in agriculture. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 46: 11–43.10.1016/j.compag.2004.10.005Search in Google Scholar

Doležal F., Matula S. & Barradas J.M.M. 2012. Improved horizontal installation of large soil moisture content sensors and interpretation of their readings in terms of preferential flow. J. Hydrol. Hydromech. 60: 333–338.10.2478/v10098-012-0029-9Search in Google Scholar

Doerge T. 2001. Fitting soil electrical conductivity measurements into the precision farming toolbox. Wisconsin Fertilizer, Aglime and Pest Management Conference, Madison, WI.Search in Google Scholar

Fitterman D.V. & Stewart M.T. 1986. Transient electromagnetic sounding for groundwater. Geophysics 51: 995–1005.10.1190/1.1442158Search in Google Scholar

Hlavacikova H., Novak V. & Holko L. 2015. On the role of rock fragments and initial soil water content in the potential subsurface runoff formation. J. Hydrol. Hydromech. 63: 71–81.10.1515/johh-2015-0002Search in Google Scholar

Jian S.Q., Zhao C.Y., Fang S.M. & Yu K. 2014. Soil water content and water balance simulation of Caragana korshinskii Kom. in the semiarid Chinese Loess Plateau. J. Hydrol. Hydromech. 62: 89–96.10.2478/johh-2014-0020Search in Google Scholar

Johnson C.K., Eigenberg R.A., Doran J.W., Wienhold B.J., Eghball B. & Woodbury B.L. 2003. Status of soil electrical conductivity studies by central state researchers. T. ASAE 48 (3): 1–11.10.13031/2013.18510Search in Google Scholar

Lehoczky É., Kamuti M., Mazsu N. & Sándor R. 2016. Changes to soil water content and biomass yield under combined maize and maize-weed vegetation with different fertilization treatments in loam soil. J. Hydrol. Hydromech. 64: 150–159.10.1515/johh-2016-0015Search in Google Scholar

Ma R., McBratney A., Whelan B., Minasny B. & Short M. 2011. Comparing temperature correction models for soilelectrical conductivity measurement Precision Agric. 12: 55–66.10.1007/s11119-009-9156-7Search in Google Scholar

Milics G. 2013. Mapping soil properties for precision agriculture. Növénytermelés 62 (Suppl.): 405–408.Search in Google Scholar

Misra R.K. & Padhi J. 2014. Assessing field-scale soil water distribution with electromagnetic induction method. J. Hydrol. 516: 200–209.10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.02.049Search in Google Scholar

Nagy V., Milics G., Smuk N., Kovács A., Balla, I., Jolánkai M., Deákvári J., Szalay K., Fenyvesi L., Štekauerová V., Wilhelm Z., Rajkai K., Németh T. & Neményi M. 2013. Continuous field soil moisture content mapping by means of apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) measurement. J. Hydrol. Hydromech. 61: 305–312.10.2478/johh-2013-0039Search in Google Scholar

Nagy V., Stekauerova V., Milics G., Lichner L. & Nemenyi M. 2008. Harmonisation of different measuring methods of soil moisture used in Zitny Ostrov (SK) and Szigetkoz (HU). Cereal Res. Com. 36: 1475–1478.Search in Google Scholar

Nemenyi M., Nagy V. & Stekauerova V. 2008. Limiting factors of precision farming – soil compaction and precipitation. Cereal Res. Com. 36: 1859–1862.Search in Google Scholar

Orfanus T., Nagy V., Stekauerova V. & Lichner L. 2008. A geostatistical analysis of soil water content at the field scale: The influence of soil texture and tillage. Cereal Res. Com. 36: 1023–1026.Search in Google Scholar

Paraskevas C., Georgiu P., Ilias A., Panoras A. & Babajimopoulos C. 2012. Calibration equations for two capacitance water content probes. Int. Agrophys. 26: 285–293.10.2478/v10247-012-0041-7Search in Google Scholar

Payne J.M. 2008. Identification of Subsoil Compaction Using Electrical Conductivity and Spectral Data Across Varying Soil Moisture Regimes in Utah. MSc Thesis. Utah State University, Logan, Utah. 12-1-2008.Search in Google Scholar

Shah P.H. & Shingh D.N. 2005. Generalized Archie’s law for estimation of soil electrical conductivity. Journal of ASTM International 2(5): 1–20.Search in Google Scholar

Sharma B.D., Kar S. & Sarkar S. 1997. Calibration of a water uptake simulation model under varying soil moisture regime and nitrogen level for wheat crop. Agri. Forest Meteo. 83(1–2): 135–146.10.1016/S0168-1923(96)02341-6Search in Google Scholar

Sheets K.R. & Hendrickx J.M.H. 1995. Non-invasive soil water content measurement using electromagnetic induction. Water Resour. Res. 31: 2401–2409.10.1029/95WR01949Search in Google Scholar

Stadler A., Rudolph S., Kupisch M., Langensiepen M., Kruk van der J. & Ewert F. 2015. Quantifying the effects of soil variability on crop growth using apparent soil electrical conductivity measurements. Eur. J. Agron. 64: 8–20.10.1016/j.eja.2014.12.004Search in Google Scholar

U.S. Salinity Laboratory Staff 1954. Diagnosis and improvement of saline and alkali soils, USDA Handbook 60. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, USA, 160 p.Search in Google Scholar

Received: 2016-5-2
Accepted: 2016-9-29
Published Online: 2017-8-31
Published in Print: 2017-8-28

© 2017 Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences

Downloaded on 28.3.2024 from https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/biolog-2017-0100/html
Scroll to top button