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Assessment of Rootzone Water Redistribution in Corn Following Irrigation

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:  9th International Drainage Symposium held jointly with CIGR and CSBE/SCGAB Proceedings, 13-16 June 2010  IDS-CSBE-100227.(doi:10.13031/2013.32168)
Authors:   Marcos Cordeiro, Sanjayan Satchithanantham, Ramanathan Sri Ranjan
Keywords:   Soil water redistribution, Water content measurement, Time-domain reflectometry, Corn

An understanding of the water redistribution pattern within the corn rootzone will help design better irrigation and drainage systems. The objective of this research was to use time-domain reflectometry (TDR) miniprobes to measure water content within the rootzone of corn at different locations within the rootzone as a function of time. Forty-five TDR miniprobes were installed, in three vertical planes, for measuring volumetric water content and salinity within the rootzone of a corn field located in Winkler, Manitoba. The probes were inserted at 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 m depths from the ground surface and at 0.12, 0.24, and 0.36 m radial distances from the base of the corn plant. The soil was thoroughly wetted by applying 50 mm of water within the experimental site. The volumetric water content was measured before and at periodic intervals after the irrigation event. The evening following the irrigation event showed an increase in water content within the entire soil profile. The water content started to decline as the days progressed. However, during the mornings, the soil within the root zone seemed to show an increase in water content when compared to the previous afternoon. An examination of the water content distribution within the root zone indicated an upward migration of water from soil layers located below 0.8 m.

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