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Moisture Storage on Fallowed Wheatland in the Great Plains
Author(s) -
Mathews O. R.,
Army T. J.
Publication year - 1960
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1960.03615995002400050029x
Subject(s) - environmental science , summer fallow , water content , moisture , precipitation , crop , cropping , agronomy , seeding , geography , agriculture , biology , geology , meteorology , geotechnical engineering , archaeology
Moisture storage data during the fallow period of annually cropped and alternately cropped‐fallowed wheatland from 25 locations throughout the Great Plains were summarized and statistically analyzed. Data, representing over 450 crop‐fallow periods, showed that on the average 2.02 inches of water was stored during the fallow portion of an annual cropping system. Under an alternate crop‐fallow system, an average of 3.96 inches of precipitation was stored between the harvest of one crop and the seeding of the next. The amount of moisture stored during the fallow period was found to be related to soil moisture content at the beginning of the fallow period, and the amount of precipitation during the fallow period. Moisture storage efficiency (percent of total precipitation stored) was greater in the northern than in the southern Great Plains.