ASABE Technical Library - Abstract

Click on “Download PDF” for the PDF version or on the title for the HTML version.
If you are not an ASABE member or if your employer has not arranged for access to the full-text, view access and subscription options

Comparing Passive Wick Lysimeter Against Soil Water Balance and Simulation Models in High and Perched Water Tables and Coarse Sandy Soils  Open Access

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

Citation:  Journal of Natural Resources and Agricultural Ecosystems. 3(1): 37-52. (doi: 10.13031/jnrae.16188) @2025
Authors:   Bibek Acharya, Vivek Sharma, Charles Barrett, Michael D. Dukes, Lincoln Zotarelli
Keywords:   Deep percolation, Drainage lysimeter, DSSAT, HYDRUS-1D, Nitrate leaching.

Highlights

  • Passive wick lysimeter performance was tested against soil water balance and simulation models under high and perched water table conditions.
  • Passive wick lysimeters overestimated deep drainage as compared to soil water balance and simulation models.
  • Lysimeter data inflated NO3-N leachate estimates, questioning the reliability in similar field conditions.
  • The out-row placed lysimeters recorded higher drainage volumes than in-row placed.

Abstract. Understanding soil water and nutrient dynamics is pivotal for agricultural and environmental research, particularly the accurate measurement of nutrient leaching. This study critically compares the performance of passive-wick drainage lysimeters to the soil water balance approach and simulation models such as DSSAT (Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer) and HYDRUS-1D (1-dimensional) in estimating deep drainage and nitrate-nitrogen (NO3&-N) leaching under field conditions marked by high and perched water tables and coarse sandy soils. The study was conducted at the North Florida Research and Education Center, Live Oak, FL, over four years (2019–2022). Forty passive-wick drainage lysimeters, with 25 in-row and 15 out-row placements, were installed 61 cm below the soil surface to record deep drainage measurements. The results showed lysimeters exhibited poor correlation (R2 = 0.04) with soil water balance estimates during the crop growing season, alongside a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 7.9 liters, indicating substantial measurement discrepancies. The average deep percolation from the lysimeter was 2221 mm (SD = 1490 mm), which was 841% higher than the soil water balance method, 741% higher than the DSSAT simulated deep drainage, and 774% higher than the HYDRUS-1D simulation. During the 2020 maize growing season under a peanut-maize rotation (PC), lysimeter-derived NO3-N leachate was notably higher at 749 kg ha⁻¹. In contrast, soil water balance estimates were 110 kg ha⁻¹, the DSSAT model predicted 127 kg ha⁻¹, and the HYDRUS-1D model simulated 81 kg ha⁻¹. Furthermore, lysimeters placed out-row exhibited a higher mean drainage volume compared to those placed in-row, with a percent bias (%bias) of 8.3. These findings highlight the challenges and potential limitations in utilizing passive-wick drainage lysimeters for deep drainage measurement under perched, high-water table, and coarse sandy soil conditions. The substantial overestimation of drainage volumes by lysimeters, particularly evident across various crops, calls for a cautious interpretation of lysimeter data in soil water and nutrient flux studies, especially in environments with similar soil and hydrological properties.

(Download PDF)    (Export to EndNotes)