Measuring and modeling three-dimensional water uptake of a growing faba bean (Vicia faba) within a soil column

Huber, Katrin [Helmhotz Centre for Environm. Research, Germany] Koebernick, Nicolai [Helmhotz Centre for Environm. Research, Germany] Kerkhofs, Elien [Depart. of Earth and Environm. Sciences, KULeuven, Belgium] Vanderborght, Jan [Agrosphere, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany] Javaux, Mathieu [UCL] Vetterlein, Doris [Helmhotz Centre for Environm. Research, Germany] Vereecken, Harry [Agrosphere, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany] et al.[show all]

A faba bean was grown in a column filled with a sandy soil, which was initially close to saturation and then subjected to a single drying cycle of 30 days. The column was divided in four hydraulically separated compartments using horizontal paraffin layers. Paraffin is impermeable to water but penetrable by roots. Thus by growing deeper, the roots can reach compartments that still contain water. The root architecture was measured every second day by X-ray CT. Transpiration rate, soil matric potential in four different depths, and leaf area were measured continously during the experiment.