Modelling field-data of preferential flow in paddy soil induced by earthworm burrows

Dye tracer studies revealed that earthworm burrows in the compacted plough pan of a Chinese paddy rice field can serve as preferential flow paths. It is, however, unclear whether the observed bypass of the compacted soil horizon might be explained by differences in hydraulic properties between the plough pan, the worm burrows with a surrounding denser drilosphere and the un-compacted subsoil, or by lower-permeable macropore walls. The objective is to separately analyse effects of the individual flow domains and to identify possible limiting factors (bottlenecks) in the flow system for better soil drainage management. Hydraulic properties are inversely estimated from in situ measurements of pressure heads and evaporation by using HYDRUS_1D code. Field data of 2D pressure head progression after dye tracer infiltration in the vicinity of worm burrows are simulated using HYDRUS_2D. The axisymmetric 2D flow model considers a highly permeable cylindrical macropore region in the centre of the flow domain, assuming Darcy's law is valid. The match between simulated and measured pressure head fields improved after including a lower-permeable drilosphere pore domain. Scenario simulations show that the inflow into the 'bypass-flow' domain are reduced by the homogenized topsoil (i.e., after puddling) and limited if the macropore domain is relatively shallow. The results suggest that basic structural features may in this concept be considered as one possibility to describe observed preferential flow patterns. The separate consideration of soil structural effects may help developing and improving management strategies for manipulation of preferential flow in soils of paddy fields.