Relationship between soil moisture dynamics, crop growth and precipitation in rain-fed area of the Loess Tableland, China.

doi:10.13287/j.1001-9332.201902.015

Abstract

Abstract: Studying soil water dynamics is critical to agricultural production and ecological environment construction. Based on a 4-year field experiment, we measured soil moisture in both winter wheat and spring corn fields in rain-fed Changwu Tableland of the Loess Plateau from 2012 to 2015, explored soil desiccation and analyzed the effects of soil moisture on crop growth, the effect of precipitation on soil reservoir, and the effect of crop on soil water dynamics. The results showed that the dominant factor for the formation of dried soil layer was yearly precipitation pattern in winter wheat field and was uneven distribution of precipitation among months in each year in spring corn field. Permanent dried soil layer did not occur in both winter wheat and spring corn under the plan-ting system of one crop a year in rain-fed Changwu Tableland. Due to the characteristics of soil water circulation in the Loess Tableland, planting winter wheat was more suitable for this region compared to spring corn. Soil water availability in the Loess Tableland area could ensure the stability of crop yield. Under the influence of precipitation, soil reservoir in winter wheat was consecutively recharged from harvest period to fallow period to seedling period, while from slow consumption period to large consumption period, soil reservoir was consecutively consumed. Soil reservoir in the depth of 0-300 and 300-600 cm was inconsistent. If the maximum root depth was used as sampling depth when measuring soil moisture, evapotranspiration would be overestimated in the fallow period and the seedling period, but would be underestimated in the large consumption period and slow consumption period. This was mainly due to the negative feedbacks of deep soil reservoir. In winter wheat field, transition layer existed and ranged from 140-360 cm. Crop growth at different stages had an effect on soil reservoir. Soil reservoir showed inter-annual regulation effect on the water supply to winter wheat and intra-annual regulation effect on spring corn.

Key words: soil reservoir, winter wheat, dried soil layer, spring corn, rain-fed area of the Loess Tableland

ZHANG Rui, LI Peng-zhan, WANG Li. Relationship between soil moisture dynamics, crop growth and precipitation in rain-fed area of the Loess Tableland, China.[J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 2019, 30(2): 359-369.

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