Use of Pedotransfer Functions in the Rosetta Model to Determine Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity (Ks) of Arable Soils: A Case Study

Abstract

A key parameter for the design of soil drainage and irrigation facilities and for the modelling of surface runoff and erosion phenomena in land-formed areas is the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks). There are many methods for determining its value. In situ and laboratory measurements are commonly regarded as the most accurate and direct methods; however, they are costly and time-consuming. Alternatives can be found in the increasingly popular models of pedotransfer functions (PTFs), which can be used for rapid determination of soil hydrophysical parameters. This study presents an analysis of the Ks values obtained from in situ measurements conducted using a double-ring infiltrometer (DRI). The measurements were conducted using a laboratory permeability meter (LPM) and were estimated using five PTFs in the Rosetta program, based on easily accessible input data, i.e., the soil type, content of various grain sizes in %, density, and water content at 2.5 and 4.2 pF, respectively. The degrees of matching between the results from the PTF models and the values obtained from the in situ and laboratory measurements were investigated based on the root-mean-square deviation (RMSD), Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), and determination coefficient (R2). The statistical relationships between the tested variables tested were confirmed using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (rho). Data analysis showed that in situ measurements of Ks were only significantly correlated with the laboratory tests conducted on intact samples; the values obtained in situ were much higher. The high sensitivity of Ks to biotic and abiotic factors, especially in the upper soil horizons, did not allow for a satisfactory match between the values from the in situ measurements and those obtained from the PTFs. In contrast, the laboratory measurements, showed a significant correlation with the Ks values, as estimated by the models PTF-2 to PTF-5; the best match was found for PTF-2.

Field‐scale measurements of soil physico‐chemical profiles of the Potohar region in the Indus basin of Pakistan

“…The porosity values reported by Dai et al (2019) correspond to even higher BD values than ours. As such, the measures of central tendency and extrema of our BD are consistent with the literature (Borek et al, 2021;Mzuku et al, 2005;Porebska et al, 2006).…”

Assessment and development of pedotransfer functions to estimate soil saturated hydraulic conductivity in arid soils with application to GIS mapping in the Al-Ahsa Oasis, Saudi Arabia

“…As a result, it is highly recommended to develop PTFs from local data rather than from data developed outside the local domain (Kotlar et al, 2019;Omran et al, 2022;Tomasella et al, 2000;Vereecken et al, 1992) . The percentage of sand and clay in the soil and the bulk density showed a good correlation with the laboratory-measured Ks in medium-textured soils when compared to other physical and hydraulic properties (Borek et al, 2021;Saxton et al, 1986;Y. Zhang & Schaap, 2019;Zhao et al, 2016).…”

Developing an Open-Source IoT Platform for Optimal Irrigation Scheduling and Decision-Making: Implementation at Olive Grove Parcels

“…A common addressed scientific practice to predict soil hydraulic parameters (unsaturated soils) is the use of the Rosetta pedotransfer model. This model allows the estimation of van Genuchten water retention parameters using limited input data such as the soil texture [28]. Nevertheless, for more robust and accurate results, it is highly suggested to measure and test all the hydraulic soil parameters through laboratory analysis [29].…”