Determination Of Plant Available Soil Water Storage In Agricultural Land Of The Nitra River Catchment

Soil water storage and its spatial pattern is one of the biggest tasks in agricultural field of study. Correct spatial interpretation and quantification of soil water storage are considered crucial for correct hydrological zonation of agricultural lands. This paper is focused on determination of amount of plants available soil water in the Nitra River Catchment in 2013. Available soil water storage was computed for each quarter of the year (I.–IV.; V.–VIII.; IX.–XII.) for 60 cm soil horizon. Amount of available water was determined as a difference between actual soil moisture and hydrolimits of water availability. Actual soil moisture was interpolated from point’s values from net of hydrological stations in the Nitra River Catchment. Limited water availability was calculated by retention curves from soil samples taken in the Catchment. Available soil water storage was the highest in the first quarter (36.74 mm). In the second quarter, it decreased to 26.93 mm and in the third quarter it was only 4.11 mm. In the fourth quarter, it increased to 30.13 mm.