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Water Balance and Profile Moisture Loss Patterns of an Alfisol

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Relation http://oar.icrisat.org/5297/
http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/agronj1979.00021962007100060018x
 
Title Water Balance and Profile Moisture Loss Patterns of an Alfisol
 
Creator Singh, P
Russell, M B
 
Subject Soil Science
 
Description In order to match the water availability with the crop water requirement in the semi-arid tropical (SAT) areas of the world, the distribution and magnitude of various water balance components and the moisture dynamics in the soil profile during crop growth periods need to be understood. Since Alfisols (fine, clayey mixed udic Rhodustalf) constitute the major soil group of SAT areas, its water balance and water loss pattern in sorghum (S. bicolor L. Moench) was studied during both the monsoon and post-monsoon season of 1977 to 1978.
During the monsoon season, water losses as evaporation, transpiration, and drainage constituted 21, 35, and 29%, respectively, of the total seasonal available water (Rainfall + irrigation + profile available water to 127 cm depth). In the post-monsoon season, the only unproductive loss of water was soil evaporation which formed about one-fourth of the total seasonal available water. The major amount of moisture depletion during the postmonsoon season was confined to the top 90 cm profile depth.
The data obtained on water balance and the ability of Alfisols to supply water to crops suggest the need for better water management by adopting improved cultural practices, like water harvesting, and improved cropping patterns for optimizing water availability and its use for crop production in the SAT
 
Publisher American Society of Agronomy
 
Date 1979
 
Type Article
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
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Identifier http://oar.icrisat.org/5297/1/AJ-71-6-963-966_1979.pdf
Singh, P and Russell, M B (1979) Water Balance and Profile Moisture Loss Patterns of an Alfisol. Agronomy Journal , 71 (6). pp. 963-966. ISSN 0002-1962