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2.9: Storage of Infiltrated Water

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    44334
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    Where does the water go once it has infiltrated into the soil? How deep will it penetrate into the plant root zone? Will it penetrate beyond the root zone? Although an oversimplification, water applied to a soil can be viewed as filling the soil profile in layers as illustrated in Figure 2.14. Even if a soil layer is wetted to saturation, it is assumed that it quickly (in a few days) drains to field capacity. The excess water (excess of FC) from a soil layer drains to the layer immediately beneath it. This sequence continues until all of the water has been stored or reaches the groundwater. Within a few days, water in each layer drains to field capacity or a lower water content. Water that penetrates deeper than the root zone is referred to as deep percolation. One goal in irrigation management is to minimize the amount of deep percolation. Deep percolation means that more water has been applied than necessary. Deep percolation transports chemicals below the root zone, a process called leaching. Leaching is generally unwanted but is sometimes required to remove excess salts from the root zone (as will be discussed in Chapter 7).

    Figure 2.14. “Simplified” storage of water infiltrating into a soil profile with three layers.

    Soil water storage in 3 soil layers before and after irrigation. Upper layers wet to field capacity prior to water moving to subsequent depth


    2.9: Storage of Infiltrated Water is shared under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.