An Improved Procedure for Sampling the Atmosphere of Field Soils

Abstract

An improved gas probe for sampling the atmosphere of field soils and the equipment used to install it are described. The probe is easily inserted to depths of a meter or more without significant disturbance of the crop or soil and plugging by soil and water can be cleared without removing the probe from the soil. In medium‐ and coarse‐textured soils this system is more useful than other capillary probe sampling systems because of the method of installation, the strength of the probe, and the depth to which it can be inserted. In poorly structured, finetextured soils where gas samples are difficult to withdraw because of low air permeability, a well‐type probe is more satisfactory.

An Improved Technique for Measuring Concentration of Soil Gases at Depth in Situ

“…Previous work involving diffusion tubes has necessitated destructive sampling (12), disruption to the soil by digging pits (13), or has been hampered by soil conditions or water table depth (Roulier et al 1974;Patrick 1977). Our improved method is a modification of previous techniques (14,15,16) based upon diffusion across a gas-permeable membrane.…”

Rhizotrons: Their Development and Use in Agricultural Research

“…Ports in the rhizotron wall connected to a sample chamber placed in the soil can be used to obtain crude samples of soil gases with a syringe or pump (Stanley, 1978). Another approach is to insert an ultrathin capillary tube with a very small teflon-coated chamber at the tip into the soil and to obtain gas samples by withdrawing the soil atmosphere slowly through the tube (Roulier et al, 1974). An automated continuous-flow soil gas sampling system has been installed in the lysimeters at the Kellogg Biological Station Agroecosystem Lysimeter facility (Aiken, 1992).…”

Soil Nitrate Loss During Irrigation: Enhancement by Plant Roots1

“…Soil atmosphere was sampled frequently with gas probes located at 5-, 15-, 27-, 58-, and 120-cm depths at three different sites (23) and oxygen diffusion rate (ODR) was estimated in the top 5 em (13). Soil water.…”