Abstract: By using time domain reflectometry (TDR), a fixed-position monitoring was made on the dynamic characteristics of soil water under Vernicia fordii plantation in the hilly red soil region of Southern China. The results showed that there was a significant difference in the soil water storage among different months, and the dynamics of soil water could be described as the phases of accum-ulation, depletion, and stabilization. Soil water had a significant variation in its vertical distribution, and the variation pattern differed in different seasons. Significant correlations existed between soil water storage and meteorological factors such as relative humidity (RH), air temperature (t), vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and rainfall (R) (P<0.05). After rain, soil water loss had a significant hyperbolic correlation with drought duration, while soil water storage had a significant linear negative correlation with this duration (P<0.05). With the extension of drought duration after rain, soil water loss tended to vary gently with increasing soil depth.

Key words: Dryocosmus kuriphilus, Cecidum, Occurrence quantity, Chestnut, Natural enemy