New method for quantifying hydraulic properties of soil

A typical solution, showing the absolute velocity.

Using X-ray CT, 3D geometries of soil structure and pore spaces can now be used as parameters in numerical simulations that calculate their hydraulic properties. The method has been successfully applied to investigate soils of different textures, structures and soils that have been influenced by plant roots under successive drying.  The findings have been published in Water Resources Research and the Journal of Experimental Botany.  This work is a funded BBRSC project in collaboration with the University of Southampton that is seeking to predict water uptake in wheat.