Abstract
Infiltration is one of the most important hydrological process through which water enters the soil surface and plays a significant role in controlling soil water storage, crop yields, irrigation efficiency and solute entry into the soil profile. In agriculture fields, generally, the top soils are enriched with high organic matter and clay, particularly in black soils that promotes sorption, biological degradation and transformation of contaminants. During the process some of the chemicals applied to farm land, move down with the deep percolating water from the root zone and there are likely chances to pollute the underlying ground water. Such instances are reported by locals in areas dominated by black soils of Malaprabha command area. In order to understand the extent of groundwater contamination through chemical fertilizers, insecticides and manures, two agricultural plots (sugarcane and banana plantation) have been identified in parts of Malaprabha command area covering parts of Saundatti, Ramdurg (Belagavi district) and Nargund taluks (Gadag district). Hydraulic properties such as infiltration and hydraulic conductivity were determined in the field. Soil samples were collected and analysed in the laboratory for texture and porosity. The study indicated that the soils of the region are layered in structure. Further, it is noticed that the coarse textured loamy soil is present below the fine textured soils (such as silty loam or clayey loam). Due to the presence of fine soils at the top, the irrigated water get accumulated and the evaporation takes place relatively faster and results in the accumulation of excess salt. It is also noticed that the layered soils have obvious effects on solute transport and salt accumulation in the clay rich soil layer at the interface. The average salt accumulation (Total Nitrogen) observed in the study area within soil profile is 18.7g/kg. The maximum salt accumulation (21.38 g/kg) occurred in the top layer of sugarcane plots followed by banana plantation (19.85 g/kg). It is also noticed that there are remarkable changes in the interlayered soils with reference to water infiltration characteristics and salt leaching intensities. Study revealed the fact that the properties of the soil profile with a silty loam interlayer is better than with a silty clay loam interlayer.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anju Anne Varghese, Rajkumar V. Raikar, B. K. Purandara (2015) Simulation of Groundwater Levels in Malaprabha Command Area using Visual MODFLOW FLEX Internat. Res. Jour. Engg. Tech. (IRJET), v.3(1), pp.434–440.
Beven K., and Germann P. Macropores and water flow in soils (1982) Water Resources Res., v.18, pp.1311–1325. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/WR018i005p01311.
Coppola A, Comegna A, Dragonetti, G., Dyck, M., Basile, A., Lamaddalena N, Kassab, M. and Comegna, V. (2011) Solute transport scales in an unsaturated stony soil. Jour. Adv. Water Resour., v.34(6), pp.747–759.
Elango, L. and Sivakumar C. (2007) Groundwater modelling to predict the migration of solutes in subsurface environment. In: Puranik V.D. et al. (Eds.), Mitigation of pollutants for clean environment. Macmillan Publ., pp.102–108
Geyer, B., and P. Jarvis (1991), A review of models of soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer schemes (SVATS), Tech. rep., Institute of Ecology and Resource Management, University of Edinburgh.
Hanson, J.D., Ahuja, L.R., Shaffer, M.D., Rojas, K.W., DeCoursey, D.G., Farahani, H. and Johnson K. (1998) Agriculture Systems (Elsevier), v.57(2), pp.161–195.
Hardie, M.A., Cotching, W.E., Doyle, R.B., Holz, G., Lisson, S., Mattern, K., et al. (2011) Effect of antecedent soil moisture on preferential flow in a texture-contrast soil. Jour. Hydrol., v.398, pp.91–201. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.12.008
Hawke, R.M., Price, A.G., Bryan, R.B., et al. (2006) The effect of initial soil water content and rainfall intensity on near-surface soil hydrologic conductivity, A laboratory investigation. Catena, v.65, pp.237–246. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2005.11.013.
Hebsur, N.S. (2005) Groundwater Quality Appraisal of Malaprabha and Ghataprabha Command Areas and its impact on Crop production and Soil Health, PhD thesis, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad.
Inclan, M.G., and Forkel, R. (1995) Comparison of energy fluxes calculated with the Penman- Monteith equation and the vegetation models SiB and Cupid. Jour. Hydrol., v.166, pp.193–211.
Jarvis, N.J. (1998) Modeling the impact of preferential flow on nonpoint source pollution. In: Selim, H.M., Ma, L., (Eds.), Physical non-equilibrium in soils: modeling and application. Chelsea, MI: Ann Arbor; pp. 195–221.
Katterer T, Schmied B, Abbaspour KC, Schulin R. (2001) Single- and dual-porosity modeling of multiple tracer transport through soil columns: effects of initial moisture and mode of application. European Jour. Soil Sci., v.52, pp.25–36. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2389.2001.00355.x.
Kung, K.J.S., Steenhuis, T.S., Kladivko, E.J., Gish, T.J., Bubenzer, G., Helling, C.S. (2000) Impact of preferential flow on the transport of adsorbing and non-adsorbing tracers. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Jour., v.64, pp.1290–1296. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2000.6441290x.
Lambers, H., Chapin, F.S. and Pons, T.L. (1998) Plant Physical Ecology, Springer Verlag, New York.
Norman, J.M. (1993) Scaling from leaf to canopy. In: J.R. Ehleringer and C.B. Field (Eds.), Scaling Physiological Processes: Leaf to Globe, Academic Press, New York.
Purandara, B.K., Varadarajan, N. and Kumar, C.P. (2002) Simulation of Solute Transport in parts of Ghataprabha command of Bagalkot and Biligi Taluks, Karnataka. NIH Technical Report (Unpublished)
Pontedeiro, E.M., van Genuchten T.M., Cotta, R.M., Simunek, J. (2010) The effects of preferential flow and soil texture on risk assessments of a NORM waste disposal site. Jour. Hazardous Materials, v. 174, pp.648–655. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2009.09.100.
Quisenberry, V.L., Phillips, R.E. and Zeleznik, J.M. (1994) Spatial distribution of water and chloride macropore flow in a well-structured soil. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Jour., v.58(5), pp.1294–1300. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1994.03615995005800050003x.
Rajmohan, N. and Elango, L. (2001) Modelling in Hydrology, Allied Publ., pp.209–225.
Shipitalo, M.J., Edwards, W.M., Dick, W.A., Owens, L.B., et al. (1990) Initial storm effects on macropore transport of surface-applied chemicals in no-till soil. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Jour., v.54, pp.1530–1536. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1990.03615995005400060004x.
Šimùnek, J., Šejna, M., Saito, H., Sakai, M. and van Genuchten, T.M. (2009) The HYDRUS-1D Software Package for Simulating the One-Dimensional Movement of Water, Heat, and Multiple Solutes in Variably-Saturated Media. Department of Environmental Sciences. Riverside: University of California.
Varadarajan. N. (2013) Ground water quality assessment in the salinity affected areas of Ghataprabha command, Karnataka (India). Ph.D. thesis, National Institute of Hydrology, Belagavi.
Varalakshmi, V., Venkateswara Rao, B., Suri Naidu, L. and Tejaswini, M. (2014). Groundwater Flow Modeling of a Hard Rock Aquifer: Case Study. Jour. Hydrologic Engg., v.19(5), pp.877–886.
Acknowledgements
Authors are highly grateful to Dr. S. K. Jain, director, NIH, Roorkee for his constant encouragement and support for carrying out this study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Purandara, B.K., Sujitha, V., Shivapur, A.V. et al. Modelling of Soil Moisture Movement and Solute Transport in Parts of Malaprabha Command. J Geol Soc India 97, 293–296 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-021-1680-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-021-1680-8