The laboratory is used to investigate the mechanisms of water and nutrient transport in the plant-soil-atmosphere continuum, study the problems related to the use of conventional and unconventional (saline) water and assess the risk of soil and ground water pollution from contaminants. The instrumentation provided enables the measure of soil hydrological properties.
The technical and scientific activities combine laboratory and field works and are described below.
• Soil physical analyses: determination of texture; pH and electrical conductivity, bulk density and particle density of undisturbed soil samples;
• Measure of soil water content in disturbed and undisturbed soil samples;
• Determination of soil hydraulic properties: water retention and hydraulic conductivity under saturated and unsaturated conditions using Stackman’s beds, multi-step chambers, permeameters and tension infiltrometers;
• Measures of the soil extract electrical conductivity (ECw) to determine salinity levels on disturbed soil samples using ad-hoc instruments: conductivity meters and spectrophotometers.
• Measure of water contents, hydraulic conductivity under saturated and unsaturated conditions and soil bulk electrical conductivity in the space and over time using TDR (Time Domain Reflectometry) probes.
• Disturbed and undisturbed soil sampling for a physical and hydrological characterisation of soils.
• Measure of water retention and hydraulic conductivity using field techniques (tensiometers, TDR probes, tension infiltrometer).
• Monitoring of soil salinity using the following geophysical methodologies: multi-electrode geoelectric (ERT) and electromagnetic (EM) tomography and Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR).
The laboratory equipments are shown in the description sheet below.
Stackman’s bedsIt enables determination of experimental points of water content θ and soil water potential h in the laboratory on undisturbed soil samples. Water retention curve θ(h) is characterised by interpolating points using empirical models |
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PermeameterIt enables determination of saturated hydraulic conductivity Ks on undisturbed soil samples |
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Multistep chamberIt determines the relation between water content θ and soil water potential h and measures the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity K(h) on undisturbed soil samples |
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Tension infiltrometerIt enables measures of soil hydraulic conductivity. This is a field measurement technique |
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TensiometerIt enables the measure of soil water potential both in the laboratory and in the field |
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TDR 100It is a reflectometer that collects simultaneously water content and soil bulk electrical conductivity data using TDR probes |
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TDR probesSensors measuring water contents and soil electrical conductivity |
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LysimeterIt enables running different kinds of trials either in the field or in the greenhouse to monitor evaporation, infiltration or deep runoff processes on arious scales of observation |
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SpectrophotometerIt determines the concentrations of the existing substances in water samples or in soil solutions |
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Conductivity meterIt enables the measure of electrical conductivity and temperature |
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Ph-meterIt measures the pH |
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DryerIt allows the hygroscopic substances of soil samples to be maintained anhydrous |
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Equipment for particle-size analysisIt determines sand, silt and clay percentage in a soil |
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SievesThey enable soil samples to be sieved by different size classes |
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Mechanical vibratory sieve shakerIt shakes a pile of sieves for a given lapse of time. Sieves differ in the size mesh. It enables the determination of soil sand fraction |
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PT 100Soil temperature sensor |
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SamplersTaking undisturbed soil samples |
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AugersTaking disturbed soil samples |
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Precision balancesWeighing different types of samples |
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Multielectrode geoelectrical prospecting (ERT) |