A theoretical framework for vineyard irrigation management using AI-driven sensor systems

Soil moisture and temperature conditions play an important role in plant growth. Modeling soil moisture and temperature is useful for predicting crop yields and risks. In this study, the Soil Temperature and Moisture Model (STM2) was used to predict soil moisture and temperature at several depths: 15, 30, 45, and 60 cm for soil moisture and 10, 25, and 50 cm for soil temperature. The objective of this study was to assess the prediction efficiency of STM2 according to soil depth and phenology. The STM2 uses soil texture data along with average daily weather data (maximum and minimum air temperature and precipitation) as inputs. During the 2008 and 2010 growing seasons, soil moisture and temperature data were measured using monitoring stations located in four agricultural fields in southern Quebec. These fields represent the range of soil texture diversity found in this agricultural area: gravelly, sandy, loamy, and clayey soils. The measurements were used to validate STM2 predictions. The overall performance of soil temperature prediction was better than that for soil moisture. Estimation quality decreased with increasing depth and was higher during the first and third phenological periods for soil moisture. Good performances were observed for the sandy and loamy soils, moderate for the clayey soil, and mostly weak for the gravelly soil. A sensitivity analysis was performed on STM2 data inputs. For soil moisture, bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and weather data have a great impact while for soil temperature, only weather data have an impact on model estimates. This study showed that STM2 can be used in combination with soil and climatic data sets to reliably predict surface soil moisture and temperature variations in southern Quebec.

The temperature, moisture, and salt content of soil in alpine regions are sensitive to changes in climatic factors and are important indicators of ecosystem functions. In this study, we collected soil moisture, temperature and electrical conductivity data at different depths at a sampling site on Bird Island in Qinghai Lake during winter using a continuous soil temperature, moisture and salt content monitoring system and analyzed their variations and influential factors. The variation in soil moisture showed an obvious ‘V-shaped’ pattern from 00:00 to 23:00 and an upward trend with soil layer depth. From 00:00 to 23:00, the overall soil temperature data fitted a ‘unimodal’ curve and showed a clear and continuous upward trend with soil layer depth at a rate of 0.684 (p < 0.001). Soil electrical conductivity data also exhibited a distinct ‘V-shaped’ pattern from 00:00 to 23:00 and a continuous increase with increasing soil depth. The correlation between soil temperature, moisture, and conductivity and the spatial distribution of five climate factors indicated that climate factors accounted for 53.6% of the changes in soil temperature, moisture, and salinity. Climate factors showed a significant positive correlation with soil temperature, moisture, and conductivity (p < 0.001), and air temperature was the most important factor influencing soil temperature and soil moisture changes, whereas wind direction was the most important factor influencing soil conductivity. (Wind direction and wind speed affect soil evapotranspiration, and then affect soil moisture and solute transport process). The results of this preliminary study reveal the characteristics associated with soil temperature, moisture, and salinity changes in winter within the wetlands of Bird Island on Qinghai Lake in the context of climate change, and they can be used as valuable reference data in further studies investigating associated changes in ecosystem functions.

It is difficult to obtain non-destructive information on the seasonal dynamics of earthworms in northern forest soils. To overcome this, we used a Rhizotron facility to compile 7 years of data on the activity of anecic (Lumbricus terrestris) and endogeic (Aporrectodea caliginosa complex) earthworms in two contrasting soil/plant community types. We hypothesized that L. terrestris burrows would be used for longer than a typical L. terrestris lifetime, and that the distribution and activity pattern of the two earthworm species would respond differently to changes in soil moisture and temperature. For 7 years we recorded earthworm distribution and activity state bi-weekly to a depth of 1.5 m, tracked L. terrestris burrows using images captured annually, and measured soil temperature and moisture. Activity and vertical distribution of earthworms was closely linked to earthworm species and soil temperature in the fall, winter and spring. Lumbricus terrestris typically remained active through the winter, whereas the A. caliginosa complex was more likely to enter an aestivation period. Activity of all earthworms decreased substantially in July and August when soil temperature was at its highest and soil moisture at its lowest for the year. Most L. terrestris burrows were used continuously and moved very little during the 7-year study, likely creating spatiotemporally stable hotspots of soil resources. The different patterns of response of these species to soil temperature and moisture suggests that endogeic earthworms are more likely than anecic earthworms to adjust activity states in response to climate change mediated shifts in soil moisture and temperature.

In this paper, the CLM5.0 organic carbon – gravel (OC – G) parameterization scheme was used to simulate soil temperature and moisture on the Tibetan Plateau from 1990 to 2018. Correlation between the simulated and observed soil temperature or moisture was higher, and the error was smaller, after the modification of the parameterization scheme. This improvement justifies the applicability of the scheme for soil hydrothermal simulations on the plateau. The effects of soil organic carbon (SOC) and gravel content on soil temperature and moisture across the plateau were also evaluated, and show that increasing SOC content increased soil moisture and decreased soil temperature, with the southeastern key area being most sensitive to SOC and gravel content. With increasing gravel content, soil moisture decreased and soil temperature increased, especially in the northwestern key areas. However, in general, soil on the plateau was more sensitive to changes in SOC content, and when the SOC and gravel content changed at the same time, the effects on soil temperature and moisture were a “cumulative” effect. The change directly affected the memory time of soil temperature and moisture in summer over the plateau. Specifically, when the organic carbon content was increased, the memory time of surface soil moisture increased in the northwest and decreased in the southeast. When gravel content was increased, the memory time of surface soil moisture decreased in the northwest but increased in the southeast, and the memory time of soil temperature remained largely unchanged. Changes to the abnormal duration may alter summer weather and climate in Eastern China.

Soil moisture and temperature are both significant factors for crop growth and development. They are also the main influencing factors of regional climate change. In the context of climate change, the relationship between soil moisture and soil temperature is not only important for explaining the mechanism of moisture and temperature interaction, but also provides scientific suggestions for agricultural production. Since the accurate measurement of soil moisture and temperature is difficult, their relationship remains poorly understood. Here, based on real-time field observation in a potato field in Wuchuan County, Inner Mongolia, China, the change characteristics of soil moisture and temperature under different water level treatments were analyzed, and their relationships were disclosed. The results show that there was an inverse proportional relationship between soil moisture and temperature. With an increase of soil moisture, soil temperature decreased. The basic relation between soil moisture and temperature took the form of reciprocal functions (Q = 4.2 × 103 V × (0.2 + W) × ΔT). The decline of soil moisture in the farmland will increase the soil temperature and has a negative impact on land–atmosphere interactions. The results can provide important insight into regional climate change mechanisms.

Soil moisture and soil temperature are two important parameters that have a wider implication on crop production. The fluctuation in soil moisture and temperature has an impact involving climate, vegetation and drought. The presence of soil moisture does not ensure its availability to a crop but the force by which water is held by soil particles is important. The amount of work done to extract soil moisture is generally expressed as stress. It is necessary to understand the extent of stress for proper water resources management. The soil moisture index (SMI) is a criterion that denotes the extent of stress experienced by a crop. The temperature also has an impact on germination and production. In the present study, we developed an SMI for different locations in Sikkim. The index ranges from +5 to -5. The negative index indicates extreme stress. The study indicated during winter the index goes beyond-3. Considering wilting point stress as 500 and 700 kPa. The soil temperature was 0 also observed to fall below 15 C. Further, it was observed that soil temperature and moisture are strongly correlated. The SMI can play an important role in adopting suitable water management practices for improved crop production.

Straw checkerboard and vegetation restoration are used for soil and water conservation on this area. This study presents soil moisture and temperature spatial distribution in different seasons from the restoration sites using the geostatistical analysis expansion module of ArcGIS. The results suggested that the soil temperature shows an overall decreasing trend accompanied with the increasing of the depth in June and August; while, there was no obvious temperature differences among all the depths of September. In addition, the humidity in August and September increased with the increase of depth. However, the mean soil moisture of June did not follow any rules. The spatial distributions of soil temperature were high in the south of the survey area. Compared with the temperature, the spatial distribution of moisture shows a much larger variation. Principal component analysis was also used in this study. The results showed the high similarity of temperatures with different depths, while the soil moisture showed an obvious spatial differences between deep and top layers. Taking a shifting sand dune as the control area, we examined the effects of ecological restoration project on soil temperature and moisture of the study area. The data indicated a remarkable environmental improvement in the restoration area.

Projections of soil carbon (C) models are known to underestimate soil C stocks in boreal soils with higher nutrient status which is likely because they do not account for effects of soil nutrient status on the kinetics of microbial respiration and their sensitivities to environmental conditions. Here we evaluated the effects of long-term N addition (once per decade since 1960 until 2020) on soil heterotrophic respiration (Rh) and its dependence on soil temperature and moisture in an originally N limited boreal Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) forest. We measured Rh, soil temperature and soil moisture biweekly during the vegetative seasons of 2021-2023 in both fertilized and control forests. We fitted Rh rates to soil temperature and moisture separately for the control and N fertilization treatment using parametric non-linear regression models and non-parametric machine learning (boosted regression tree) models. The functional dependencies of Rh were similar between fertilized and control forests for soil temperature but differed for soil moisture. In the N fertilized forest soil, Rh increased rapidly from dry conditions towards a soil moisture optimum followed by a clear reduction in wet conditions. In contrast, in the N limited forest soil, Rh mainly increased with soil moisture. The models based solely on temperature (assuming identical and non-limiting effect of moisture) predicted higher annual Rh than the models accounting for soil moisture effects. Thus, to avoid overestimation of soil CO2 emissions and underestimation of soil C stocks accumulation in fertile boreal soils, it is crucial to link the soil moisture dependencies in soil C models to nutrient status. The different Rh response to moisture between N limited and N fertilized soils could be related to different levels of enzyme activities and contrasting microbial traits found by other studies.

Moisture and soil texture effects on soil CO 2 efflux components in southeastern mixed pine forests

Sclerotial germination of three isolates each of Sclerotinia minor and S. sclerotiorum was compared under various soil moisture and temperature combinations in soils from Huron and Salinas, CA. Sclerotia from each isolate in soil disks equilibrated at 0, -0.03, -0.07, -0.1, -0.15, and -0.3 MPa were transferred into petri plates and incubated at 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 degrees C. Types and levels of germination in the two species were recorded. Petri plates in which apothecia were observed were transferred into a growth chamber at 15 degrees C with a 12-h light-dark regime. All retrievable sclerotia were recovered 3 months later and tested for viability. Soil type did not affect either the type or level of germination of sclerotia. Mycelial germination was the predominant mode in sclerotia of S. minor, and it occurred between -0.03 and -0.3 MPa and 5 and 25 degrees C, with an optimum at -0.1 MPa and 15 degrees C. No germination occurred at 30 degrees C or 0 MPa. Soil temperature, moisture, or soil type did not affect the viability of sclerotia of either species. Carpogenic germination of S. sclerotiorum sclerotia, measured as the number of sclerotia producing stipes and apothecia, was the predominant mode that was affected significantly by soil moisture and temperature. Myceliogenic germination in this species under the experimental conditions was infrequent. The optimum conditions for carpogenic germination were 15 degrees C and -0.03 or -0.07 MPa. To study the effect of sclerotial size on carpogenic germination in both S. minor and S. sclerotiorum, sclerotia of three distinct size classes for each species were placed in soil disks equilibrated at -0.03 MPa and incubated at 15 degrees C. After 6 weeks, number of stipes and apothecia produced by sclerotia were counted. Solitary S. minor sclerotia did not form apothecia, but aggregates of attached sclerotia readily formed apothecia. The number of stipes produced by both S. minor and S. sclerotiorum was highly correlated with sclerotial size. These results suggest there is a threshold of sclerotial size below which apothecia are not produced, and explains, in part, why production of apothecia in S. minor seldom occurs in nature.

Purpose: to study the influence of soil cultivation methods on soil moisture-temperature regime and the winter wheat yield under conditions of insufficient and unstable moisture. Materials and methods: the study of various primary soil tillage methods was carried out under the conditions of long-term stationary experience in 2017–2019 on the isolated field of Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution “Asovsliy Scientific Centre “Donskoy” (southern zone of Rostov region). The cultivated crop is Stanichnaya variety winter wheat, the predecessor is peas. The experimental site soil is ordinary calcareous heavy loamy chernozem. The studied tillage methods are surface, shallow, moldboard and zero (direct seeding). The method for determining the relative humidity and soil temperature in an autonomous mode was based on the use of Watch Dog 1400 Micro meteorological stations (recorders) from Spectrum Technologies, Inc., the soil moisture and temperature sensors were located at a depth of 30 cm. At the same time, the air humidity and temperature and the accumulation precipitation were monitored. Results: it was found that in the southern zone of Rostov region, zero tillage throughout the entire observation period provides high moisture conservation, preventing soil overheating, at the same time allowing to obtain a consistently high yield of winter wheat, which compares favorably with other tillage methods. Conclusions: comparison of various tillage methods with leading in all indicators zero tillage allowed to establish that, on average, with surface tillage, soil moisture is lower by 17.75 %, soil temperature is higher by 4.12 %, and yield is lower by 8.37 %. With shallow tillage, the soil moisture is 20.12 % lower, the soil temperature is 12.19 % higher, and the yield is 12.14 % lower. With the moldboard method, soil moisture is lower by 13.19 %, the soil temperature is higher by 11.48 %, and the yield is lower by 5.44 %.

Photo biodegradable film is an ideal degradable mulch film with synergistic effect of photo-degradability and biodegradability. To examine the covering effects of different films, maize was cultivated in the field with three kinds of degradable films (DF) mulching which had different degradation cycles (DF No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3), with common plastic film mulching and no filming mulching (open ground) as comparison. The degradation rates and degrees of degradable films were examined, and the effects of different films on soil temperature, soil moisture, maize yield and relevant characteristics in each treatment were analyzed. The results indicated that the degradable films had good degradability, and the weight loss rate in 100 d for DF No.1, No.2, and No.3 were 22.31%, 19.46%, and 15.63%, which were 4.16, 3.63, and 2.92 times of the plastic film, respectively. In the early period of maize growth, the degradable films had good warming effects on soil, which were similar with the plastic film. The effect of DF No.2 on soil water conservation was slightly better than that of DF No.1 or No.3, similar with that of the plastic film. The soil water contents in 0-140 cm depths were significantly higher for DF No.2 than that for the open ground (p < 0.05). The degradable films could significantly promote the ear development of maize, improve the ear characteristics, shorten the bald tip, and increase kernel number per plant (KNP) and 1000-kernel weight (TKW). The grain yields (GYs) for DF No.2, No.1, and No.3 were significantly improved, with 35.15%, 31.35%, and 30.07% higher than that the open ground respectively (p < 0.05). With no significant difference between DF and the plastic film, the GY was increased more for DF No.2 than that for DF No.1 and No.3. The degradable films fulfilled successfully all the functions of the plastic film, thus they were recommended as viable option to the plastic film due to their good degradability. Keywords: degradable film, photo biodegradable film, soil temperature, soil moisture, maize, yield DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20191203.4065 Citation: Shen L X, Zhang Y M , Lan Y C, Li R F. Effects of degradable films with different degradation cycles on soil temperature, moisture and maize yield. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2019; 12(3): 36–44.

Physical and biogeochemical controls on soil respiration along a topographical gradient in a semiarid forest

Soil CO2 efflux in a temperate deciduous forest: Environmental drivers and component contributions

Effects of vegetation on soil temperature and water content: Field monitoring and numerical modelling