ARS | Publication request: PARAMETERIZING ROOT WATER UPTAKE AS A FUNCTION OF WATER AND SALINITY STRESS

Submitted to: Trans American Geophysical Union
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: May 1, 2005
Publication Date: October 1, 2005
Citation: Van Genuchten, M.T., Skaggs, T.H. 2005. Parameterizing root water uptake as a function of water and salinity stress. Trans American Geophysical Union. 86(16), Joint Assembly Suppl., New Orleans, LA. Abstract H41B-05 (CD-ROM).

Technical Abstract: The extraction of water from soil by plant roots is a critical component of water and energy balances at the land surface. Root water uptake is affected by a number of hydropedologic variables, including soil salinity and/or drought. We review various approaches that may be used to model root water uptake as a function of water and salinity stress, emphasizing particularly the different forms of the sink term that may be incorporated into the Richards equation for local scale modeling, as well as the challenges posed by the need to model water uptake at local, field, and regional scales. Modeling approaches are illustrated using numerical simulations and experimental data collected on forage crops grown under combinations of water and salinity stress.