New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research abstracts
Predicting soil water, tile drainage, and runoff in a mole-tile
drained soil
V. O. Snow
AgResearch
Grasslands Research Centre
Private Bag 11008
Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
val.snow@agresearch.co.nz
D. J. Houlbrooke
AgResearch
Invermay Agricultural Centre
Private Bag 50034
Mosgiel 9053, New Zealand
david.houlbrooke@agresearch.co.nz
N. I. Huth
CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems/Agricultural Production Systems
Research Unit
PO Box 102
Toowoomba QLD, 4350, Australia
neil.huth@csiro.au
Abstract There has been considerable
intensification of agriculture on mole-tile drained soils in New
Zealand. Management techniques and tools are needed for predicting and
understanding water and nutrient transport. While simple water balance
models have been effective in estimating soil water deficit, such
models cannot differentiate between the different water loss
mechanisms. More complex water-transport models include the ability to
predict the flow of water and nutrients through mole-tile drainage
systems but none have yet been applied, or tested, under New Zealand
conditions. Here we test such a model against existing data. The
simulation model APSIM was used to estimate soil water extraction by
pasture, slow drainage through the fragipan, mole-tile drainage,
surface runoff, and evaporation from the soil surface of the Tokomaru
silt loam. Soil hydraulic properties were derived from the literature.
Comparison was made against previously published data on soil water
deficit, tile drainage, and surface runoff. APSIM’s predictions of soil
water deficit compared well against much of the available data. The
exception to this was during a period of exceptionally dry soil
conditions when the model predicted a lower soil water deficit than
indicated by the data. There was excellent agreement between the
simulated and measured drainage, as well as reasonable agreement of
measured and modelled surface runoff on a cumulative basis, although
there was some deviation when considered on an event basis.
Keywords soil water balance; mole-tile drainage;
surface runoff; simulation model
A06045; Online publication date 28 February 2007; Received 21 July
2006; accepted 11 December 2006
New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2007, Vol. 50:
13 - 24
0028 - 8233/07/5001 - 0013 © The Royal Society of New Zealand
2007
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