Hydraulic conductivity and pore connectivity. Effects of conventional and no-till systems determined using a simple laboratory device

Soil hydraulic conductivity is a property that describes how easily water can move through a porous space and its determination is important because it controls many soil hydrological processes. The objectives of this work were: i - to assess the suitability of lab tension mini-infiltrometry to measure hydraulic conductivity, by comparing with field tension disc infiltrometer data; and ii - to assess the effect of different tillage practices on hydraulic conductivity values and pore network in three different soils from Argentinean Pampas Region. Additionally, three analytical approaches to obtain K from mini-infiltrometry data were compared. Field infiltration with tension disc infiltrometer (TI) and laboratory infiltration with a proposed mini-infiltrometer (MI) were conducted in three different textured soils of Argentinian Pampas Region (loam, silty loam and sandy loam) in long-term experiments under no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT). Hydraulic conductivity (K) at different tensions (h) (6, 3 and 0 cm), namely K6, K3 and K0, and soil pore connectivity were estimated. There was no significant difference between K (h) values obtained from TI and MI, ranging between 0.47 and 2.36 cm h−1 and 0.52 and 1.77 and cm h−1, respectively. We concluded that NT reduces soil hydraulic conductivity, affecting soil pore connectivity, especially in fine textured soils. CT showed higher total pore connectivity in all studied sites. The proposed laboratory mini-infiltrometry method allows determining soil hydraulic conductivity function and pore connectivity in a simple, fast and inexpensive way.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Soracco, Carlos Germán, Villarreal, Rafael, Melani, Esteban, Oderiz, Juan Agustin, Salazar, María Paz, Otero, María Florencia, Irizar, Alicia Beatriz, Lozano, Luis Alberto
Format:	info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo biblioteca
Language:	eng
Published:	Elsevier 2019-03-01
Subjects:	Porosidad del Suelo, Conductividad Hidráulica, Propiedades Hidráulicas del Suelo, Labranza Convencional, Labranza, Agua de Infiltración, Soil Porosity, Hydraulic Conductivity, Soil Hydraulic Properties, Conventional Tillage, Tillage, Infiltration Water, cientifico,
Online Access:	https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706118314769 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/5187 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2018.10.045
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