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Apparent electrical conductivity measurements in an olive orchard under wet and dry soil conditions: significance for clay and soil water content mapping

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Abstract

Mediterranean olive trees traditionally grow under rainfed conditions, on poor soils with steep slopes. Rainfall is mainly concentrated during autumn and winter and is characterized by intense rain pulses, separated by dry periods. The use of electromagnetic induction (EMI) techniques in these olive orchards might be questioned since EMI surveys are generally recommended to be performed under moist soil conditions. A 6.7 ha olive orchard was surveyed for EMI-based apparent electrical conductivity (ECa), both under wet and dry soil conditions. In addition, 48 soil samples were analyzed for soil texture and for soil water content (SWC) under both soil conditions. The relationships between ECa, soil texture and SWC, under both soil conditions were evaluated. Despite the significantly larger ECa values measured during the wet survey as compared to the dry survey, a similar spatial correlation structure was found, indicating temporally stable ECa patterns. Significant correlations (r) were found between both surveys for ECa (r = 0.67) and for SWC (r = 0.63). The correlation between SWC and clay content exceeded 0.60 for both surveys, and the correlation between ECa and clay content was twice as high under wet soil conditions as compared to dry soil. In both situations, the ECa surveys revealed the same patterns of soil texture, indicating that moist soil conditions are not an absolute prerequisite for the use of EMI to map the spatial variability of these soil properties. Nonetheless, measuring the ECa under different moisture conditions can provide additional information about soil moisture dynamics.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this work came from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (Grants AGL2009-12936-C03-03and AGL2012-40128-C03-03), and from the Junta de Andalucía (AGR-4782). Also support through PhD Grant No. 8 (Res. 15/04/10) by Instituto de Investigación y Formación Agraria y Pesquera (IFAPA) is acknowledged. We express our gratitude to M. Morón, J. García, M. A. Ayala and E. Rodríguez of IFAPA Las Torres-Tomejil for their assistance with the field and laboratory work, particularly with the collection of soil samples. We also thank the owner of the farm, Alonso Zamudio, for his hospitality during our many fieldwork visits.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IFAPA, Centro Las Torres-Tomejil. Ctra, Sevilla-Cazalla km 12.2, Alcalá del Río, 41200, Seville, Spain

    A. Pedrera-Parrilla & K. Vanderlinden

  2. Department of Soil Management, Research Group Soil Spatial Inventory Techniques, Ghent University, Coupure links 653, Ghent, Belgium

    E. Van De Vijver & M. Van Meirvenne

  3. Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad de Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales, Edificio da Vinci. Ctra Madrid km 396, 14071, Córdoba, Spain

    A. J. Espejo-Pérez & J. V. Giráldez

  4. Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible, CSIC, Alameda del Obispo, 14080, Córdoba, Spain

    J. V. Giráldez

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  1. A. Pedrera-Parrilla
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  2. E. Van De Vijver
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  3. M. Van Meirvenne
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  4. A. J. Espejo-Pérez
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  5. J. V. Giráldez
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  6. K. Vanderlinden
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Correspondence to A. Pedrera-Parrilla.

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Pedrera-Parrilla, A., Van De Vijver, E., Van Meirvenne, M. et al. Apparent electrical conductivity measurements in an olive orchard under wet and dry soil conditions: significance for clay and soil water content mapping. Precision Agric 17, 531–545 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-016-9435-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-016-9435-z

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