Soil Water Availability in the Semiarid Duero Basin (Spain)
- Martínez Fernández, J.
- Ceballos Barbancho, Antonio
- Luengo Ugidos, Miguel Ángel
- Casado, Segismundo
ISBN: 978-3-923381-49-4
Año de publicación: 2005
Volumen: 222
Páginas: 215
Congreso: International Symposium on Sustainable Use and Management of Soils in Arid and Semiarid Regions, SEP 22-26, 2002, Cartagena, SPAIN
Tipo: Aportación congreso
Resumen
Semi-arid ecosystems are characterised by a considerable sensitivity to water availability. This study was carried out to determine water availability in soils of the Duero River basin (Spain), under semiarid Mediterranean climatic conditions. Over a period of 43 months (April 1999 to October 2002) the evolution of soil moisture in the first 25 cm of the soil profile and of the availability of water for the plants was studied at 22 stations, using the Soil Water Deficit Index (SWDI). The results confirmed the poor water retention capacity of the soils and the occurrence of prolonged periods of soil water deficit. The most vulnerable soils proved to be those with the highest clay content, since the available water became completely depleted over several consecutive months. Sandy soils stored and retained less water but were subject to shorter periods of deficit.