Irrigation Basics for Landscape Irrigation Contractors – LSU AgCenter

Water cycle
Soil, Plant & Water Relationships

Dr. Ron Sheffield

LSU Ag Center, Biological & Agricultural Engineering
rsheffield@agcenter.lsu.edu

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
ƒ 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
y Porosity is a measure of how much pore
space exists in the soil
y Volume of pores/volume of the soil x 100
y Porosity
y is given
g as % and mayy be 30% to
40% in soil and higher in artificial media
y Porosity of a clay and a silt loam can be
the same
Permeability
y How fast can water move into/through
the soil (inches/hour)?
y Higher in dry soil/lower in wet soil
y Higher in soils with larger pore spaces
(sands, loams, amended soils, potting mix)
y Lower in soils with smaller pore spaces
(silts, clays, compacted soil or soil layer)

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Irrigation Basics for Landscape Irrigation Contractors – LSU AgCenter

Soil Intake Rate Permeability

y Saturated permeability for clay soils may
be <0.06”/hour
y Saturated permeability for silt loam soils
may be 0.2”/hour
y Permeability generally declines with
compaction, rainfall, irrigation, increased
moisture content, decreased organic
matter or amendments, and increased
density

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

The Soil Reservoir Why do we want to irrigate?

Saturation

Saturation Allowance Gravitational Water

(Rapid Drainage)
Field Capacity

Irrigation Amount
(Typically 50% of AW)
Readily
Available Available Water
Water (AW)

Permanent Wilt Point

To replace rain water
that has evaporated.
Hygroscopic Water

Evapotranspiration (ET) Effective Rain Fall

y Evaporation of water from the soil y Measurement of rain is as important as the
or plants surfaces and transpired
measurement of ET
from leaves.
◦ It is typically measured in inches y Rainfall replenishes soil moisture
y Weather conditions affect ET: y Rainfall
f that runs off ff is NOT
O effective
ff rain
◦ Solar radiation ◦ Soil percolation rate and slope limit effective rain.
◦ Temperature y Rain that soaks below the roots is NOT
◦ Wind effective rain
◦ Humidity ◦ A soil moisture balance calculation determines
when the root zone is saturated.

Typical Irrigation System Adjustments

Irrigation Requirement Inches Daily Evaporation
Inches of Irrigation Used with Weekly Adjustments
Inches of Irrigation Used with Monthly Adjustments
y ET – Effective Rain = Irrigation Requirement
0.25
y The Irrigation Requirement is met when
sprinklers
p run longg enough
g to return the soil 0.2

moisture level back to desired levels – no 0.15

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 Efficient Water Use

◦ Save Money
◦ Preserve Natural Resources

y Healthy Landscapes
◦ Watered when needed
◦ Watered right

ORGANIC MATTER &

Soil, Plant & Water Relationships Soil, Plant & Water Relationships

Moisture Extraction Soil, Plant & Water Relationships

Where do plants get their water?
y Soil root zone – available water
ƒ Typical sandy soils:
ƒ 1.5
1 5 inches of water can be held in the soil (per foot
of soil) ~ 0.75 in. of that is available
ƒ Typical root zone: 1 to 1.5 ft.

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Irrigation Basics for Landscape Irrigation Contractors – LSU AgCenter

Water Management Soil, Plant & Water Relationships

Concept:
ƒ MAD – Management-allowed deficit/depletion
Percentage of available water within the soil that
you will allow to be removed before you
irrigate

ƒ MAD %
w/ Water Management Frequent Irrigation
ƒ 25-40, Shallow-rooted, high value fruit and
vegetable crops
w/ Water Management Frequent Irrigation ƒ 40-50, Orchards, vineyards, berries, ornamentals,
and medium rooted row crops.
ƒ 50, mature trees, forage crops, grain crops, and
deep-rooted row crops

Soil, Plant & Water Relationships Slope effects

y Sloping terrain will
™ How much do you apply during an irrigation?: increase the chance of
runoff and will decrease
dx = (MAD/100) * Wa * Z water infiltration
y The greater the slope
slope, the
dx = maximum net depth of water to be applied greater the problems will
per irrigation (mm/inches) be
MAD = management-allowed depletion (%) y Consider splitting
Wa = available water-holding capacity of the soil irrigation in multiple
(mm/m or in./ft) cycles
Z = effective root depth, (m or ft)

Soil, Plant & Water Relationships