Soil moisture and metolachlor volatilization observations over three years.

A 3-yr study was conducted to focus on the impact of surface soil water content on metolachlor (2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl) acetamide) volatilization from a field with different surface soil water regimes created by subsurface water flow paths. Metolachlor vapor fluxes were measured at two locations within the field where local meteorological and soil conditions were relatively constant, except for surface soil water content, which differed significantly. Surface soil water content at the two sites differed in response to the presence of subsurface flow pathways. Detailed soil moisture observations over the duration of the study showed that for the first 2 yr (2004 and 2005), surface soil water contents at the dry location (V1) were nearly half those at the wetter location (V2). Cumulative metolachlor vapor fluxes during 2004 and 2005 at V1 were also about half that at V2. In the third year (2006), early-season drought conditions rendered the soil water content at the two locations to be nearly identical, resulting in similar metolachlor volatilization losses. Analysis of infrared soil surface temperatures suggests a correlation between surface soil temperatures and metolachlor volatilization when soils are wet (2004 and 2005) but not when the soils are dry (2006). Field-averaged metolachlor volatilization losses were highly correlated with increasing surface soil water contents (r(2) = 0.995).

Using soil moisture and spatial yield patterns to identify subsurface flow pathways.

Subsurface soil water dynamics can influence crop growth and the fate of surface-applied fertilizers and pesticides. Recently, a method was proposed using only ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and digital elevation maps (DEMs) to identify locations where subsurface water converged into discrete pathways. For this study, the GPR protocol for identifying horizontal subsurface flow pathways was extended to a 3.2-ha field, uncertainty is discussed, and soil moisture and yield patterns are presented as confirming evidence of the extent of the subsurface flow pathways. Observed soil water contents supported the existence of discrete preferential funnel flow processes occurring near the GPR-identified preferential flow pathways. Soil moisture also played a critical role in the formation of corn (Zea mays L.) grain yield patterns with yield spatial patterns being similar for mild and severe drought conditions. A buffer zone protocol was introduced that allowed the impact of subsurface flow pathways on corn grain yield to be quantified. Results indicate that when a GPR-identified subsurface clay layer was within 2 m of the soil surface, there was a beneficial impact on yield during a drought year. Furthermore, the buffer zone analysis demonstrated that corn grain yields decreased as the horizontal distance from the GPR-identified subsurface flow pathways increased during a drought year. Averaged real-time soil moisture contents at 0.1 m also decreased with increasing distance from the GPR-identified flow pathways. This research suggests that subsurface flow pathways exist and influence soil moisture and corn grain yield patterns.