Evaluating fluxes in Histosols for water management in lettuce: A comparison of mass balance, evapotranspiration and lysimeter methods

Lafond, Jonathan A.; Piette, Eliane Bergeron; Caron, Jean; Théroux‐Rancourt, Guillaume

doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2013.12.016

Cited by 18 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…2 and 3). This low concentration may be due to the presence of a layer limiting water movement between the humic (0Á20 cm) and the coarser mesic (30Á70 cm) horizons, as previously observed in a nearby organic soil (Lafond et al 2014). The distribution of NO 3 -N within the soil profile of an organic soil being cropped to carrots is somewhat complex: NO 3 -N, either from mineralization or applied fertilizer, was obviously not fully used by the crops, given that some of it was still found at various depths.…”

Section: Nitrate Changes In the Soil Profilementioning

confidence: 86%

“…Because of the presence of a perched water table, water potentials remained high in the top arable part of the profile for periods as long as several months. Given the fact that in these soils, humic horizons are often laid over a fibric horizon, the result may be unstable flow mechanisms such as fingered flow, as reported by Flury et al (1994) and Lafond et al (2014), although only under very wet conditions for the latter author. Fingered flow would lead to a highly variable solute distribution pattern with multimodal depth distribution (Lafond et al 2014).…”

Section: Nitrate Changes In the Soil Profilementioning

confidence: 89%

“…Given the fact that in these soils, humic horizons are often laid over a fibric horizon, the result may be unstable flow mechanisms such as fingered flow, as reported by Flury et al (1994) and Lafond et al (2014), although only under very wet conditions for the latter author. Fingered flow would lead to a highly variable solute distribution pattern with multimodal depth distribution (Lafond et al 2014). The existence of a perched water table would also favour denitrification in the presence of soluble C, which could lead to abrupt changes in the N profile, consistent with the observed low concentrations in the deeper soil layers (60Á90 cm) late in the growing season in years 2 and 3 in the present study.…”

Section: Nitrate Changes In the Soil Profilementioning

confidence: 89%

“…The modulation of water content and soil aeration thus contributes to N fate in acid organic soils. One element that can modulate N losses is the presence of a perched water table, as reported by Lafond et al (2014) in connection with nearby organic soils under lettuce cultivation. Because of the presence of a perched water table, water potentials remained high in the top arable part of the profile for periods as long as several months.…”

Section: Nitrate Changes In the Soil Profilementioning

confidence: 95%

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Nitrogen budget for fertilized carrot cropping systems in a Quebec organic soil

et al. 2014

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É . 2014. Nitrogen budget for fertilized carrot cropping systems in a Quebec organic soil. Can. J. Soil Sci. 94: 139Á148. After reclamation, organic soils tend to shift from net N immobilization to net N mineralization. The N amounts mineralized annually can be sufficient to cover the N needs of the crop, reducing the need for supplemental N fertilization. The objective of this study was to assess N budgets and to infer the apparent N mineralization in fertilized and unfertilized carrot (Daucus carota L.) crops in an organic soil in southwestern Quebec. Five pre-plant N fertilization treatments (0, 25, 50, 75, and a split 25'25 kg N ha (1 ) were applied over a 3-yr period to non-irrigated carrots. Crop yield and plant and soil N contents were measured. Apparent net N mineralization was an important source of N, averaging 117 kg N ha (1 yr (1 . Crop yield was not affected by the N fertilization rate, by splitting of the fertilizer application or by the previous year's crop. Increasing the N fertilizer rate increased the soil nitrate content below the root zone (Â40 cm below the surface), enhancing the risk of nitrate leaching. Thus, because soil N mineralization was sufficient for the carrots' requirements in this organic soil, supplemental N fertilization was found to be unnecessary and could exacerbate the environmental risk of nitrate leaching.Caron, J., Rancourt, G. T., Be´lec, C., Tremblay, N. et Parent, L.-É . 2014. Bilan de l'azote pour des syste`mes de culture de la carotte dans un sol organique du Que´bec. Can. J. Soil Sci. 94: 139Á148. Apre`s avoir e´te´mis en cultures pour de nombreuses anne´es, les sols organiques ont tendance a`migrer de l'immobilisation a`la mine´ralisation de l'azote. Cette quantite´d'azote mine´ralise´peut eˆtre assez importante pour remplir les besoins en N d'une culture, ce qui permettrait de re´duire la fertilisation en N. Cette e´tude a ainsi e´value´le bilan en N de cultures de carottes non irrigue´es (Daucus carota L.) seme´es tardivement (fin mai) dans un sol organique du Sud-Ouest du Que´bec. Cinq doses de fertilisation azote´e (0, 25, 50, 75 et une application scinde´e de 25'25 kg N ha (1 ) ont e´te´compare´es sur une pe´riode de trois ans en e´valuant le rendement en carottes, ainsi que le contenu en N du sol et des plantes. La mine´ralisation apparente nette de l'azote repre´sentait un apport azote´important, en moyenne de 117 kg N ha (1 an (1 . Le rendement en carottes n'a pas e´te´affecte´par l'augmentation de la dose de fertilisation azote´e, par une application divise´e ou par la culture pre´ce´dente. L'augmentation de la dose de N a toutefois augmente´le contenu en nitrate du sol sous la zone racinaire (Â40 cm sous la surface), augmentant le risque de lessivage. Ainsi, l'ajout de fertilisation azote´e dans une culture de carottes dans un sol organique de´grade´n'e´tait pas ne´cessaire puisque la mine´ralisation permettait de combler tous les besoins en N de la culture.

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Section: Nitrate Changes In the Soil Profilementioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Nitrate Changes In the Soil Profilementioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Nitrate Changes In the Soil Profilementioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Nitrate Changes In the Soil Profilementioning

confidence: 95%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Nitrogen budget for fertilized carrot cropping systems in a Quebec organic soil

et al. 2014

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“…4; Table 3), the data show that Soil 2 was more variable than Soil 1, an observation that was somewhat expected because Soil 1 was in the surface tilled zone and was highly humified, whereas Soil 2 was more heterogeneous because it contained more fibers, resulting in different hydraulic properties. This contrasting difference in humification and fiber content between Soils 1 and 2 may result in complex flow processes, with observed temporary perched water tables and signs of macropore flow, hydrophobicity, and textural discontinuity mechanisms affecting its hydrology (Lafond et al, 2014), which in turn may influence the prediction of matric potential by the model at that depth because these processes are not accounted in HYDRUS‐2D. However, the good fit obtained in this study indicates that the mechanisms used in HYDRUS‐2D for describing water flow processes during drainage and root water uptake at different depths in Histosols were dominant enough for HYDRUS‐2D to be used as a tool to study the link between root water uptake and the occurrence of tip burn in romaine lettuce.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Root Water Uptake by Romaine Lettuce in a Muck Soil: Linking Tip Burn to Hydric Deficit

Périard

Caron

Lafond

et al. 2015

Vadose Zone Journal

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Canadian lettuce is mostly grown in organic soils in Quebec. Lettuce is highly sensitive to tip burn, a physiological disorder that can lead to significant marketable yield losses. Tip burn losses have been linked to multiple causes, such as inadequate water and Ca fluxes during transpiration, which in turn are linked to the water fluxes in the root zone to and within the plant. The aim of this study was to investigate the dynamic relationship between water fluxes in the root zone and the occurrence of tip burn in romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) grown in muck soils. Water fluxes in the root zone were modeled with HYDRUS‐2D using measured soil properties and weather conditions. The model results showed that mean unsaturated hydraulic conductivity in the root zone was sufficient to meet transpiration demands down to a matric potential of −31.14 kPa at a depth of 15 cm. Simulations based on field observations revealed that as soon as a root water uptake deficit of 0.14 mm h−1 was reached, tip burn developed rapidly. Hence, the simulations confirmed that below this matric potential threshold, hydraulic conductivity <1.6 × 10−4 mm h−1 and water flow velocity in the root zone <4 × 10−3 mm h−1 became insufficient for plant needs, leading to tip burn occurrence in lettuce, consistent with field observations. Understanding the water root‐zone fluxes to anticipate water stress and reduce tip burn damage in Romaine lettuce is a major improvement for growers, giving them a longer time window to initiate irrigation.

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Modeling water fluxes through containerized soilless substrates using HYDRUS

Fields

Owen

Stewart

et al. 2020

Vadose Zone Journal

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Containerized crop production can enhance plant health and ensure environmental sustainability, yet proper management requires improved understanding of water fluxes and storage within soilless substrates. Numerical simulation tools developed to simulate water movement in porous media, such as HYDRUS-3D, may help to quantify effective hydraulic properties of soilless substrates but have not yet been tested in this capacity. Therefore, this study had three main objectives: (a) to assess the accuracy of HYDRUS-3D for simulating water flow through peat-and bark-based soilless substrates by comparing measured and modeled drainage and water storage; (b) to determine sensitivity of model outputs to individual hydraulic parameters; and (c) to compare model parameterization using three laboratory characterization methods (instantaneous profile sorption, instantaneous profile desorption, and evaporation) vs. inverse modeling with HYDRUS. The results showed that the modeled water contents and drainage timing and amounts were most sensitive to saturated volumetric water content (θ s) and least sensitive to saturated hydraulic conductivity (K s). With regard to parameterization methods, the inverse modeling approach provided the most accurate water balance simulations for both substrates, followed by the sorption method. These two methods estimated lower peak water contents and greater drainage compared with simulations parameterized using desorption and evaporation measurements. Overall, the study results showed that the Richards equation, as calculated using HYDRUS, can provide accurate simulations of water flux through containers when properly calibrated, though sorption-derived parameters may suffice when model optimization is impractical.

show abstract

Evaluating fluxes in Histosols for water management in lettuce: A comparison of mass balance, evapotranspiration and lysimeter methods

Cited by 18 publications

References 23 publications

Nitrogen budget for fertilized carrot cropping systems in a Quebec organic soil

Nitrogen budget for fertilized carrot cropping systems in a Quebec organic soil

Root Water Uptake by Romaine Lettuce in a Muck Soil: Linking Tip Burn to Hydric Deficit

Modeling water fluxes through containerized soilless substrates using HYDRUS

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