<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">In grasslands where organic and inorganic resources are alternating at scales of individual plants, the transient character is given to certain wetting properties of soil, which then become highly variable both in space and in time. The objective of presented study was to study wetting pattern within two soil horizons at 5-cm and 10-cm depths respectively and to examine how the wetting patterns relate to hydraulic conductivity determined by Minidisc infiltrometer at suction −2 cm, <italic>K</italic>(−2 cm). This characteristics is implicitly independent on antecedent soil water content (SWC) since it relates to steady infiltration phase but can be influenced by present soil water repellency (SWR). Field measurements were performed on July 27–28, 2010 on the grassland experimental site located near the village Sekule in Southwest Slovakia. The water drop penetration time (WDPT), SWC and tension Minidisc infiltration measurements were carried out on the 0.64 m2 plot in a regular 8 × 8 grid. The results showed that SWR and SWC influence each other and cause correlation between spatial patterns of studied soil wetting characteristics and between characteristics measured at the two soil depths. Further, it was found out, that calculation of <italic>K</italic>(−2 cm) according to Zhang may cause apparent correlation of <italic>K</italic>(−2 cm) with antecedent SWC, which is the artificial effect of sorptivity parameter in the equation on steady stage of infiltration process. This pseudocorrelation has disappeared after adopting of Minasny and McBratney (2000) approaches by calculation of <italic>K</italic>(−2 cm).</abstract>

In grasslands where organic and inorganic resources are alternating at scales of individual plants, the transient character is given to certain wetting properties of soil, which then become highly variable both in space and in time. The objective of presented study was to study wetting pattern within two soil horizons at 5-cm and 10-cm depths respectively and to examine how the wetting patterns relate to hydraulic conductivity determined by Minidisc infiltrometer at suction −2 cm, K(−2 cm). This characteristics is implicitly independent on antecedent soil water content (SWC) since it relates to steady infiltration phase but can be influenced by present soil water repellency (SWR). Field measurements were performed on July 27–28, 2010 on the grassland experimental site located near the village Sekule in Southwest Slovakia. The water drop penetration time (WDPT), SWC and tension Minidisc infiltration measurements were carried out on the 0.64 m2 plot in a regular 8 × 8 grid. The results showed that SWR and SWC influence each other and cause correlation between spatial patterns of studied soil wetting characteristics and between characteristics measured at the two soil depths. Further, it was found out, that calculation of K(−2 cm) according to Zhang may cause apparent correlation of K(−2 cm) with antecedent SWC, which is the artificial effect of sorptivity parameter in the equation on steady stage of infiltration process. This pseudocorrelation has disappeared after adopting of Minasny and McBratney (2000) approaches by calculation of K(−2 cm).

Spatial patterns of wetting characteristics in grassland sandy soil

Institute of Hydrology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská 9, 841 04 Bratislava, Slovak Republic.

Research Institute for Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Herman Otto ut. 24, 1022 Budapest, Hungary.

Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of Agrophysics, ul. Doswiadczalna 4, P.O. Box 201, 20-290 Lublin, Poland.

Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Spatial patterns of wetting characteristics in grassland sandy soil"}

In grasslands where organic and inorganic resources are alternating at scales of individual plants, the transient character is given to certain wetting...

Spatial patterns of wetting characteristics in grassland sandy soil

Publicado en línea: 12 may 2016

Páginas: 167 - 175

Recibido: 30 abr 2015

Aceptado: 24 nov 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/johh-2016-0010

Palabras clave
Soil wetting pattern, Soil water repellency, Hydraulic conductivity, Sorptivity, Arenosol

© 2016 Tomáš Orfánus et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Spatial patterns of wetting characteristics in grassland sandy soil

Publicado en línea: 12 may 2016

Páginas: 167 - 175

Recibido: 30 abr 2015

Aceptado: 24 nov 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/johh-2016-0010

Palabras claveSoil wetting pattern, Soil water repellency, Hydraulic conductivity, Sorptivity, Arenosol

© 2016 Tomáš Orfánus et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Palabras clave
Soil wetting pattern, Soil water repellency, Hydraulic conductivity, Sorptivity, Arenosol