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Adopting integrated measurement techniques may enhance our understanding of hydropedological processes within the critical zone. To investigate lateral subsurface flow due to lithological discontinuities, a ponding infiltration test, two GPR surveys, and soil penetration resistance (PR) measurements were conducted on a 1 m2 plot in a vegetated area located in the university campus of Doua (Lyon, France). A GPR grid with 0.2 m intervals was established. In the center of the grid, around the root system of a hawthorn shrub, an infiltration test was conducted using an automated single-ring infiltrometer proposed by Concialdi et al. (2020), to infiltrate a shear-thinning viscous solution (1 g L−1 Xanthan gum powder). The viscous solution was expected to fill preferential pathways due to the roots, with limited infiltration into the soil matrix, and thus reveal complex geometries or macropore networks in highly heterogeneous soils. To create three-dimensional (3D) representations of the infiltrated solution, two GPR surveys were carried out just before and 20 min after the infiltration test, using a GSSI (Geophysical Survey System Inc., Salem, NH) SIR 3000 system with a 900 MHz antenna. A total of 24 radargrams were collected in time mode by moving the antenna along the survey lines and recording the markers position along the survey line intersections. After the second GPR survey, PR was measured at each of the 36 intersection points of the grid using an electronic hand-pushed cone penetrometer. The cone had a 30° angle and a base area of 1 cm2, inserted into the soil at a constant speed of 2 cm s−1 to a depth of 0.8 m. These measurements were aimed to highlight contrasting penetration resistance characteristics between different soil horizons. We also determined the soil bulk density from 24 undisturbed soil cores (~ 100 cm3) collected at different depths from 0 to 50 cm. Finally, an auger was used to extract a 0.69-m-depth soil core for the direct observation of lithological heterogeneities.
Differenced radargrams from pre- and post-infiltration surveys allowed to detect the 3D infiltration bulb, which was vertically elongated and irregularly shaped, but with an evident horizontal divergence between the depth of 20 and 30 cm. Below 30 cm depth, a significant increasing of soil PR and BD (respectively higher than 2.5 MPa and 1.50 g cm-3, between 30 and 50 cm depth) was detected, indicating the presence of a underlying layer, which was also identifiable by visual observation of the soil core. This dense layer impeded water flow. Consequently, the liquid solution partially diverged laterally and accumulated upside this layer, and partially infiltrated into the dense layer along preferential flow paths in correspondence with the plant root system, as detected by the 3D GPR diagram. Summing up and considering every aspect, this study allowed to identify water perching above a shallow restrictive layer for a better understanding of the water dynamics of the investigated soil. This study shows the benefits to couple different types of soil physics approaches to relate hydrological processes to the soil hydraulic and mechanical properties.
Giorgio Capello; Marcella Biddoccu; Simone Di Prima; Laurent Lassabatere. Combining new techniques to investigate water dynamics above a shallow restrictive layer. 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleGiorgio Capello, Marcella Biddoccu, Simone Di Prima, Laurent Lassabatere. Combining new techniques to investigate water dynamics above a shallow restrictive layer. . 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiorgio Capello; Marcella Biddoccu; Simone Di Prima; Laurent Lassabatere. 2021. "Combining new techniques to investigate water dynamics above a shallow restrictive layer." , no. : 1.
Vineyards’ soils are especially threatened by the risk of soil compaction and soil erosion, with negative consequences for wine production and provisioning of ecosystem services. The adopted inter-rows soil management influences the response of vineyard to different types of rainfall events, in terms of runoff and soil erosion. Actually, the use of cover crops in vineyards is widely considered as an effective measure for conservation of water and soil. A 3-years study was carried out in Piedmont (NW Italy) to evaluate the effectiveness of grass cover as a soil water conservation measure, compared with tillage, and particularly the influence of different types of rainfall events and tractor traffic in determining hydrological and erosive response of the vineyard. During the investigation period (November 2016 - December 2019), climate variables, runoff, and soil losses were continuously monitored along with vineyard management operations. Very different yearly precipitation characterized the observed period, including the driest and wettest year in the last 20 years. Runoff and soil erosion caused by different types of rainfall events (long-lasting, intense and normal) in two vineyard’s plots managed with permanent grass cover and tillage, respectively, have been compared. In addition, the influence of the number of tractor traffic was taken into account. Runoff volume was principally affected by soil management, while sediment yield was influenced by the type of event. Both were higher in the tilled plot than in the grassed one, for all types of events, even if differences were not always significant. Grass cover reduced by 65% the runoff, with the highest efficiency during intense events. Soil losses were reduced on average by 72%, with 74% efficiency during the most erosive intense events and the lowest protection (56%) during long-lasting rainfall. Moreover, the response of grass cover plot was less influenced by traffication. The study demonstrates the efficiency of grass cover in reducing water and soil losses also during extreme events, that are predicted to be more frequent in the climate change scenario. Highlights - Runoff volume was principally affected by soil management. - Sediment yield was influenced by the type of event. - Intense events result in the highest sediment losses. - Grass cover reduced by 65% the runoff, with the highest efficiency during intense events. - Tractor traffic caused a significant reduction of water that could infiltrate into the soil, recharging it.
Giorgio Capello; Marcella Biddoccu; Eugenio Cavallo. Permanent cover for soil and water conservation in mechanized vineyards: A study case in Piedmont, NW Italy. Italian Journal of Agronomy 2020, 15, 323 -331.
AMA StyleGiorgio Capello, Marcella Biddoccu, Eugenio Cavallo. Permanent cover for soil and water conservation in mechanized vineyards: A study case in Piedmont, NW Italy. Italian Journal of Agronomy. 2020; 15 (4):323-331.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiorgio Capello; Marcella Biddoccu; Eugenio Cavallo. 2020. "Permanent cover for soil and water conservation in mechanized vineyards: A study case in Piedmont, NW Italy." Italian Journal of Agronomy 15, no. 4: 323-331.
Soil erosion is affected by rainfall temporal patterns and intensity variability. In vineyards, machine traffic is implemented with particular intensity from late spring to harvest, and it is responsible for soil compaction, which likely affects soil hydraulic properties, runoff, and soil erosion. Additionally, the hydraulic and physical properties of soil are highly influenced by vineyards’ inter-rows soil management. The effects on soil compaction and both hydrological and erosional processes of machine traffic were investigated on a sloping vineyard with different inter-row soil managements (tillage and permanent grass cover) in the Alto Monferrato area (Piedmont, NW Italy). During the investigation (November 2016–October 2018), soil water content, rainfall, runoff, and soil erosion were continuously monitored. Field-saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil penetration resistance, and bulk density were recorded periodically in portions of inter-rows affected and not affected by the machine traffic. Very different yearly precipitation characterized the observed period, leading to higher bulk density and lower infiltration rates in the wetter year, especially in the tilled vineyard, whereas soil penetration resistance was generally higher in the grassed plot and in drier conditions. In the wet year, management with grass cover considerably reduced runoff (−76%) and soil loss (−83%) compared to tillage and in the dry season. Those results highlight the need to limit the tractor traffic, in order to reduce negative effects due to soil compaction, especially in tilled inter-rows.
Giorgio Capello; Marcella Biddoccu; Stefano Ferraris; Eugenio Cavallo. Effects of Tractor Passes on Hydrological and Soil Erosion Processes in Tilled and Grassed Vineyards. Water 2019, 11, 2118 .
AMA StyleGiorgio Capello, Marcella Biddoccu, Stefano Ferraris, Eugenio Cavallo. Effects of Tractor Passes on Hydrological and Soil Erosion Processes in Tilled and Grassed Vineyards. Water. 2019; 11 (10):2118.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiorgio Capello; Marcella Biddoccu; Stefano Ferraris; Eugenio Cavallo. 2019. "Effects of Tractor Passes on Hydrological and Soil Erosion Processes in Tilled and Grassed Vineyards." Water 11, no. 10: 2118.
Soil moisture measurement is essential to validate hydrological models and satellite data. In this work we provide an overview of different local and plot scale soil moisture measurement techniques applied in three different conditions in terms of altitude, land use, and soil type, namely a plain, a mountain meadow and a hilly vineyard. The main goal is to provide a synoptic view of techniques supported by practical case studies to show that in such different conditions it is possible to estimate a time and spatially resolved soil moisture by the same combination of instruments: contact-based methods (i.e., Time Domain Reflectometry—TDR, and two low frequency probes) for the time resolved, and hydro-geophysical minimally-invasive methods (i.e., Electromagnetic Induction—EMI, Ground Penetrating Radar—GPR, and the Electrical Resistivity Tomography—ERT) for the spatially resolved. Both long-term soil moisture measurements and spatially resolved measurement campaigns are discussed. Technical and operational measures are detailed to allow critical factors to be identified.
Giulia Raffelli; Maurizio Previati; Davide Canone; Davide Gisolo; Ivan Bevilacqua; Giorgio Capello; Marcella Biddoccu; Eugenio Cavallo; Rita Deiana; Giorgio Cassiani; Stefano Ferraris. Local- and Plot-Scale Measurements of Soil Moisture: Time and Spatially Resolved Field Techniques in Plain, Hill and Mountain Sites. Water 2017, 9, 706 .
AMA StyleGiulia Raffelli, Maurizio Previati, Davide Canone, Davide Gisolo, Ivan Bevilacqua, Giorgio Capello, Marcella Biddoccu, Eugenio Cavallo, Rita Deiana, Giorgio Cassiani, Stefano Ferraris. Local- and Plot-Scale Measurements of Soil Moisture: Time and Spatially Resolved Field Techniques in Plain, Hill and Mountain Sites. Water. 2017; 9 (9):706.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiulia Raffelli; Maurizio Previati; Davide Canone; Davide Gisolo; Ivan Bevilacqua; Giorgio Capello; Marcella Biddoccu; Eugenio Cavallo; Rita Deiana; Giorgio Cassiani; Stefano Ferraris. 2017. "Local- and Plot-Scale Measurements of Soil Moisture: Time and Spatially Resolved Field Techniques in Plain, Hill and Mountain Sites." Water 9, no. 9: 706.