ERT; experimental problems; contact resistance; field; root water uptake; tillage
Abstract :
[en] Adapted agricultural soil management practices can enhance soil health by providing improved aggregate stability and soil structural quality. Hence water infiltration may be improved and plant water availability increased. In this study, we aim at quantifying the effect of tillage practices on the water dynamics in a loamy soil under temperate climate (Gembloux, Belgium). Therefore, we evaluated the ability of electrical resistivity tomography to estimate the water content at the field scale and under complex field conditions: varying pore water conductivity, rainfall, crop water uptake, root growth, varying temperature and changing soil structure due to tillage practices.
During the summer of 2015, we studied four different treatments: conventional spring and winter tillage, strip tillage and a bare soil. We used ERT to estimate the spatio-temporal distribution of soil moisture. In each of the plots, 2 time-domain reflectometry (TDR) probes and 2 suction cups were installed. A calibration trench was constructed with 4 electrodes, 1 TDR probe and 1 temperature sensor at 4 different depths. We quantified changes of porosity over the growing season using X-ray tomography.
Combining these data, we will investigate and quantify the effect of simultaneously changing pore water conductivity, soil porosity, soil temperature and soil moisture on the effectiveness of time-lapse ER measurements as a proxy for soil moisture changes under different tillage practices.
Research center :
TERRA Teaching and Research Centre - TERRA
Disciplines :
Environmental sciences & ecology
Author, co-author :
Chelin, Marie ; Université de Liège > Ingénierie des biosystèmes (Biose) > Echanges Eau-Sol-Plantes
Hiel, Marie-Pierre ; Université de Liège > Agronomie, Bio-ingénierie et Chimie (AgroBioChem) > Phytotechnie des régions tempérées
Blanchy, Guillaume
Garré, Sarah ; Université de Liège > Ingénierie des biosystèmes (Biose) > Echanges Eau-Sol-Plantes
Language :
English
Title :
Impact of tillage practices on soil moisture dynamics in a temperate climate: potential of 3-D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT)