Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T14:21:51.326Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Available-Water Capacity of Barbados Soils

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2008

J. C. Hudson
J. C. Hudson
Affiliation:
Agronomy Research Unit of the Barbados Sugar Producers' Association, Edgehill, Barbados
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Large soil monoliths, extracted undisturbed in 44-gallon oil drums, have been used to assess the available-water capacity, and the relation between the growth of sugarcane and soil water deficit for agricultural soils in Barbados. Constancy of field capacity was studied and the effect of cultivation on the storage of available soil water. Deep montmorillonite clays and oceanic soils had storage capacities greater than 20 cm. of water in an 80 cm. profile, whereas sandy or stony montmorillonite clays and most soils developed from kaolinite clays had capacities less than 11 cm. Cultivation significantly increased the water holding capacity of soils but this was rarely as great as for fabricated composts and the water was never so freely available. The data have been used in decisions about cultivation and irrigation, and as the basis for an ecological grouping of sugar estates according to their probable water balance.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 5 , Issue 3 , July 1969 , pp. 167 - 182
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1969

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Hudson, J. C. (1966). Evaporation, transpiration, soil moisture deficit and cane growth in Barbados. Proc. 1966 meeting Brit. W. Indies Sug. Tech., Guyana. 1, 137.Google Scholar
Hunson, J. C. (1967). The Availability of Soil Water. Ph.D. Thesis, Univ. W. Indies, Trinidad.Google Scholar
Hudson, J. C. (1868). Proc. Int. Soc. sug. Technol. Cong., Taiwan (in press).Google Scholar
King, H. M. (1965). Ann. Rep. Tate and Lyle Cent. Agric. Res. Stn., Carapichaima, Trinidad, W. Indies, 199.Google Scholar
Painter, L. I. (1966). Agron. Jl 58, 459.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salter, P. J. (1967). Expl Agric. 3, 163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salter, P. J. & Haworth, F. (1961). J. Soil Sci. 12, 326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salter, P. J. & Williams, J. B. (1967). J. Soil. Sci. 18, 174.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Slatyer, R. O. & McIllroy, I. C. (1961). Practical Microclimatology. Canberra: Commw. Scient. Ind. Res. Org.Google Scholar
Vernon, K. C. & Carroll, D. M. (1966). Soil and Land-use Surveys No. 18—Barbados. Reg. Res. Centre, Univ. W. Indies, Trinidad.Google Scholar
Weatherley, P. E. (1965). In Water Stress in Plants. (Ed. Slavik, B.) Prague: Czech. Acad. Sci.Google Scholar
Wilcox, J. C. (1965). Can. J. Soil Sci. 45, 171.CrossRefGoogle Scholar