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Temporal change in soil macropores measured using tension infiltrometer under different land uses and slope positions in subtropical China

  • Soils, Sec 2 • Global Change, Environ Risk Assess, Sustainable Land Use • Research Article
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Abstract

Purpose

Soil macropores play a principal role in water infiltration but they are highly variable. The objectives of this study were (1) to investigate the temporal change in macropores of an Ultisol as affected by land use and slope position and (2) to analyze contribution of macropores to water infiltration.

Materials and methods

Water infiltration was measured at upper and lower slopes in citrus orchard and watermelon field once every 2 months for 1 year using tension infiltrometers at a successive pressure head from −12, −6, −3, to 0 hPa.

Results and discussion

Hydraulic conductivity (K) was significantly affected by land use and slope position except at 0 hPa pressure head, showing a significant temporal variation. Effective macroporosity, derived from the increment of hydraulic conductivity between −3 and 0 hPa, showed a significant temporal variation. Such temporal variation was land use (P < 0.05) and slope position (P < 0.001) dependent. Despite of low proportion in total soil volume (averaged 3.5 cm3 m−3), the macropores contributed 47 % of water flux on average. The macroporosity was more stable and higher in the citrus orchard (2.43 cm3 m−3, coefficient of variance (CV) = 75 %) than in the watermelon field (1.72 cm3 m−3, CV = 117 %) and contributed more to infiltration in the citrus orchard (60 %, CV = 16 %) than in the watermelon field (33 %, CV = 43 %) as well, because tillage was operated only in the watermelon field.

Conclusions

No-tillage increased water conducting macropores but did not increase hydraulic conductivity irrespective of slope position.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 40701071 and 41401245). The authors acknowledge Ecological Experimental Station of Red Soil and local farmers for their help in the field experiments. The authors also appreciate Muhammad Tahir’s help for revising the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 821, Nanjing, 210008, People’s Republic of China

    Zhongbin Zhang, Lin Lin, Yi Wang & Xinhua Peng

  2. State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Lin Lin

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  1. Zhongbin Zhang
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  2. Lin Lin
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  3. Yi Wang
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  4. Xinhua Peng
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Correspondence to Xinhua Peng.

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Responsible editor: Rainer Horn

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Zhang, Z., Lin, L., Wang, Y. et al. Temporal change in soil macropores measured using tension infiltrometer under different land uses and slope positions in subtropical China. J Soils Sediments 16, 854–863 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-015-1295-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-015-1295-z

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