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 beds
It 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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Permeameter |
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Multistep chamber |
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Tension infiltrometer
It enables measures of soil hydraulic conductivity. This is a field measurement technique |
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Tensiometer
It enables the measure of soil water potential both in the laboratory and in the field |
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TDR 100
It is a reflectometer that collects simultaneously water content and soil bulk electrical conductivity data using TDR probes |
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TDR probes
Sensors measuring water contents and soil electrical conductivity |
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Lysimeter 
It 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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Spectrophotometer
It determines the concentrations of the existing substances in water samples or in soil solutions |
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Conductivity meter
It enables the measure of electrical conductivity and temperature |
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Ph-meter
It measures the pH |
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Dryer
It allows the hygroscopic substances of soil samples to be maintained anhydrous |
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Equipment for particle-size analysis 
It determines sand, silt and clay percentage in a soil |
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Sieves
They enable soil samples to be sieved by different size classes |
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Mechanical vibratory sieve shaker
It 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 100
Soil temperature sensor |
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Samplers 
Taking undisturbed soil samples |
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Augers
Taking disturbed soil samples |
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Precision balances 
Weighing different types of samples |
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Multielectrode geoelectrical prospecting (ERT) |
