Parameterization of Soil Hydraulic Parameters for HYDRUS-3D Simulation of Soil Water Dynamics in a Drip-Irrigated Orchard

Abstract

<jats:p>Although surface drip irrigation allows an efficient use of water in agriculture, the heterogeneous distribution of soil water complicates its optimal usage. Mathematical models can be used to simulate the dynamics of water in the soil below a dripper and promote: a better understanding, and optimization, of the design of drip irrigation systems, their improved management and their monitoring with soil moisture sensors. The aim of this paper was to find the most appropriate configuration of HYDRUS-3D for simulating the soil water dynamics in a drip-irrigated orchard. Special emphasis was placed on the source of the soil hydraulic parameters. Simulations parameterized using the Rosetta approach were therefore compared with others parameterized using that of HYPROP + WP4C. The simulations were validated on a seasonal scale, against measurements made using a neutron probe, and on the time course of several days, against tensiometers. The results showed that the best agreement with soil moisture measurements was achieved with simulations parameterized from HYPROP + WP4C. It further improved when the shape parameter n was empirically calibrated from a subset of neutron probe measurements. The fit of the simulations with measurements was best at positions near the dripper and worsened at positions outside its wetting pattern and at depths of 80 cm or more.</jats:p>

Analysis of the Variability in Soil Moisture Measurements by Capacitance Sensors in a Drip-Irrigated Orchard

“…In Plot I, the sensors reported drier measurements, especially at 15 cm depth, than expected according to the HYDRUS-3D simulations. Neutron probe measurements supported the results of the simulations [ 37 ]. A possible explanation for this divergence could be the thinner spatial resolution of sensors, together with a scenario of limited irrigation doses.…”

“…In this respect, HYDRUS [ 31 ] is a well-known software package for the simulation of water and solute movement in soils of one-, two- or three-dimensions, for different combinations of initial and boundary conditions [ 32 , 33 ]. Some authors [ 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ] have used HYDRUS modelling to simulate surface drip irrigation. These and other works have demonstrated the ability of HYDRUS to simulate the space-time dynamics of soil water in drip irrigated crops.…”

Modeling NO3–N leaching during establishment of turfgrasses irrigated with tailored reclaimed water

“…Rosetta is a computer program used to estimate unsaturated hydraulic properties from surrogate soil data such as soil texture data and bulk density using pedotransfer functions. Estimates of soil water retention parameters using pedotransfer functions have been widely used in many HYDRUS studies (Abbasi et al., 2004; Domínguez‐Niño et al., 2020; Kirkham et al., 2019). These soil water retention parameter values are provided in Table 2.…”

Influence of Gully Land Consolidation on Phreatic Water Transformation in the Loess Hilly and Gully Region

“…The soil moisture module used by HYDRUS-3D follows Darcy's law and the continuity principle of mass conservation. It could reasonably simulate the transportation regular pattern of water and solute in soil [50][51][52]. Therefore, we chose the HYDRUS-3D to explore the influence of rainfall transformation to phreatic water under more conditions, such as more loess thickness and rainfall intensities with or without GLC.…”