Water cycle
Soil, Plant & Water Relationships
Soil, Plant & Water Relationships Soil, Plant & Water Relationships
Understanding Soil Water Holding Understanding Soil Water
Capacity Holding Capacity
◦ Soil textural classification:
x Sand, silt, clay content
Soil textural
classification:
S d silt,
oSand, ilt clay
l
content
oVoids (air spaces) in
the soil
oHow water is held
in the soil
Porosity Permeability
y Porosity is a measure of how much pore y How fast can water move into/through
space exists in the soil the soil (inches/hour)?
y Volume of pores/volume of the soil x 100 y Higher in dry soil/lower in wet soil
y Porosity
y is given
g as % and mayy be 30% to y Higher in soils with larger pore spaces
40% in soil and higher in artificial media (sands, loams, amended soils, potting mix)
y Porosity of a clay and a silt loam can be y Lower in soils with smaller pore spaces
the same (silts, clays, compacted soil or soil layer)
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Irrigation Basics for Landscape Irrigation Contractors – LSU AgCenter
Compaction Salts
y Compaction reduces porosity, infiltration, y Due to the dissolved ions in salty water it
and water holding capacity takes more pressure for water taken up
y Compaction can be increased by traffic, into plants
tillage, impact (mechanical or hydraulic), y Ass salt
sa t concentrations
co ce t at o s increase
c ease itt reduces
e uces
and d chemical
h i l changes
h (sodium,
( di calcium)
l i )
the availability of water to plants
Soil is a Reservoir
Salts & Water Intake
y Capacity
◦ Soil type
◦ Root depth
y Moisture Level
◦ Evaporation
◦ Rain
◦ Irrigation
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Irrigation Basics for Landscape Irrigation Contractors – LSU AgCenter
Irrigation Amount
(Typically 50% of AW)
Readily
Available Available Water
Water (AW)
more / no less. ET
0.1
0.05
0
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27
Days
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Irrigation Basics for Landscape Irrigation Contractors – LSU AgCenter
Benefits of ET-
ET-Based Water The Soil Re
Reservoir
servoir
Management
y Healthy Landscapes
◦ Watered when needed
◦ Watered right
Soil, Plant & Water Relationships Soil, Plant & Water Relationships
4
Irrigation Basics for Landscape Irrigation Contractors – LSU AgCenter
MAD %
w/ Water Management Frequent Irrigation
25-40, Shallow-rooted, high value fruit and
vegetable crops
w/ Water Management Frequent Irrigation 40-50, Orchards, vineyards, berries, ornamentals,
and medium rooted row crops.
50, mature trees, forage crops, grain crops, and
deep-rooted row crops