Soil water availability in new-cultivated hillside land
新垦红壤坡地土壤水分有效性研究

The dynamics of water content in three soil layers (0-20 cm, 20-40 cm and 40-60 cm) were determined at three geographic locations (mesoslope, downgrade, valley) of new-cultivated sugarcane field and uncultivated hillside land at one day before rain, 4 hours, 2, 4, 6 and 8 days after rain during rainy season and dry season in 1998 at environmental immigrants settlement area of northwest Guangxi. The result showed that the increment of available soil water content in valley sugarcane field after rain was equal to precipitation, but that in mesoslope sugarcane field and uncultivated hillside land was 80% of precipitation. The distribution of available soil water content in 0-60 cm soil horizons was uniform after rain during rainy season; however it was concentrated in surface horizon after rain during dry season. The differences of available soil moisture saturation degree between treatments and between soil horizons were significant during rainy season; nevertheless, those of dry season were not significant. The consumption rate of available soil water content in 0-60 cm soil horizons of uncultivated hillside land was the least among all treatments. Although the consumption rate of available soil water content during dry season was less than that of rainy season, the available soil water content during dry season would be exhausted in 15 days after rain.