HYDRUS-1D Simulation of Soil Water Dynamics for Sweet Corn under Tropical Rainfed Condition

• Main Authors: Mazhar Iqbal, Md Rowshon Kamal, Mohd Fazly M., Hasfalina Che Man, Aimrun Wayayok
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-02-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: rainfed conditions; water balance; soil water; runoff and leaching losses; hydrus-id simulation
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/4/1219

Assessment of soil water balance is essential to understand water dynamics for optimal use of water and fertilizers. The study intended to simulate soil water dynamics in sweet corn production under tropical rainfed conditions. Surface runoff, subsurface leaching, and evapotranspiration are the main components of water balance, especially in tropical environments. Therefore, intensive field experiments and HYDRUS-1D numerical modeling were applied to investigate the water balance components and analyzing water dynamics. The study was carried out in a sweet corn field for two growing seasons under the rainfed conditions at the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Serdang, Malaysia. The total water inputs during the first and second seasons were 75.8 cm and 79.7 cm, respectively. Simulated results of evapotranspiration (ET) accounted for 40.7% and 33.1% of total water input during the first and second seasons. Surface runoff accounted for 41% and 28.6% in the first and second season, respectively. Water leaching accounted for 10.6%−26.8% of total water input during both seasons respectively. As rainfall fulfilled the crop water requirement throughout the growing seasons no additional irrigation was required. The overall simulation results validate the HYDRUS-1D as an effective tool to simulate soil water dynamics under rainfed conditions.