How does soil water retention change over time? A three‐year field study under several production systems

作者：Clémence Pirlot, Anne‐Catherine Renard, Caroline De Clerck, Aurore Degré · 发表于：European Journal of Soil Science · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1111/ejss.13558 · 被引用次数：8 · 研究领域：Soil and Unsaturated Flow、Irrigation Practices and Water Management、Soil Moisture and Remote Sensing

Abstract Agricultural practices and meteorological conditions affect soil structure and soil hydraulic properties. However, their temporal evolution is rarely studied, and even less in the field. Thus, their dynamics are rarely taken into account in models, often leading to inconsistent results and poor decision making. In this study, the temporal evolution of water retention properties and soil structure was monitored over a 3‐year period under several contrasting production systems. Soil Water Retention Curves (SWRCs) obtained directly in the field (with soil water content and potential sensors) were compared with theoretical SWRCs predicted by pedotransfer functions (PTFs) and laboratory SWRCs measured on undisturbed samples. Bulk densities were measured every 2 months. Results indicate a high degree of variability in SWRCs over time and between production systems. The results suggest that variations in the soil water retention behaviour can be induced by crop differentiation, weed control, crop residue management, compaction during harvest, or the introduction of temporary grassland. Contrasting climatic conditions between 2021 (water excess), 2022 (severe drought) and 2023 (intermediate) provided a unique opportunity to study the resilience of the crop systems to extreme climatic conditions. Different soil drying dynamics were observed and some agricultural practices were identified as influencing the soil water retention behaviour for at least 2 years. Comparison of SWR...