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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Pendleton, Oregon » Columbia Plateau Conservation Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #101473
Title: INSTRUMENTATION OF THE LONG-TERM CROP RESIDUE PLOTS FOR HYDROLOGIC AND SOIL EROSION EVALUATION

Author
item Williams, John
item Douglas Jr, Clyde
item Rickman, Ronald
item CHEN, CHENGCI - OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
item PAYNE, WILLIAM - OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Annual Report
Publication Type: Experiment Station
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Until this time, the plots have been used to evaluate the influence of crop residue and fertilizer management on crop production and soil physical properties. The current effort will quantify the effect that the treatments have on soil erodibility, the amount and rate at which water runs off the plots, and by extension of these two attributes, the influence of the treatments of water quality. Additionally, weather data and measurements taken from below the soil surface will be used to show the influence by the treatments on crop water availability and use. This paper reports on the instruments that have been installed to measure the hydrology and soil erodibility associated with this long¿term experiment.

Technical Abstract: Long-term experimental (68 years) plots have been instrumented to evaluate the influence the treatments have on hydrology (surface and subsurface) and soil erosion. This paper reports on the equipment installed to make this evaluation. Rainfall measurements are being made using two recording raingages (weighing and tipping-bucket), and a standard physical raingage. Wind speed, solar radiation, humidity, and air temperature are also being measured. Automated soil temperature and volumetric soil moisture measurements are made using thermisters and time domain reflectometry. All automated weather and soil data is collected on a 15 minute interval. Drop-box weirs, electronic stage recorders, and automated sediment samplers are used to evaluate the volume and quality of runoff. Stage depths are recorded every two minutes and sediment samples are collected once every 20 minutes after runoff begins. This effort will be repeated in selected plots again in 1999 - 2000. Equipment not used next year will be used for research conducted on private land with collaborators.