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Sprinkler irrigation, roots and the uptake of water
Book chapter

Sprinkler irrigation, roots and the uptake of water

B.E. Clothier, K.R.J. Smettem and P. Rahardjo
Field Scale Water and Solute Flux in Soils', pp.101-108
Birkhauser Verlag
1990
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Abstract

Clearer perception and better modelling of soil water and chemical flow will be aided by improved measurement of the appropriate saturated and unsaturated flow characteristics of field soil. In situ measurements, at and near saturation are presented for two contrasting soils: the herbicided, coarse soil of an apple orchard, and a biologically-active, finer-textured soil growing pasture. These data are combined with more-unsaturated data from laboratory analysis on undisturbed cores. Soil water content measurements made after sprinkler irrigation of the orchard are interpreted in terms of simple notions of unsaturated flux-infiltration. Our water extraction observations stress the prime role of surface roots. These deep-rooted apple trees exhibited a depth-wise flexibility in root water uptake.

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