Temporal stability of water content and water matric potential in a field soil

The high spatial variability of the soil hydraulic conductivity as a function of soil water content (or soil-water matric potential) makes the sampling planning and the use or extrapolation of mean values obtained in field studies of soil-water dynamics difficult. In this context, the objective of this study was to verify the temporal stability of soil-water content and soil-water matric potential and to show how the temporal stability methodology can be used as a tool to rationalize the sampling strategy of soil hydraulic conductivity under field conditions. A drainage experiment was carried out on an Oxisol, in Piracicaba (SP), Brazil, on an experimental plot with 50 observational points in a straight line spaced 1 meter apart, where soil-water contents and soil-water matric potential were measured with TDR probes and tensiometers, respectively, during three weeks of water redistribution in the soil. Results showed that the temporal stability method identifies the best sampling locations precisely, making it possible to reduce the number of necessary samples and the costs invested in sampling to establish water use and management systems for agriculture.