Dynamic and empirical methods for field capacity estimation in fine textured soils with a coarse interlayer

• We used a soil water flow model to simulate soil water redistribution process. • A relative drainage rate δ is defined to specify the field capacity (FC). • The critical δ at FC is found to be 1 % d −1 in both uniform and layered soils. • FC of the top soil layer with sand interlayer is greater than that of uniform soil. • We proposed an empirical equation to estimate FC in the top layer of layered soils. Field capacity (FC) is an important soil hydraulic concept in soil science and irrigation management. It is generally determined from soil water content in a soil layer when soil profile reaches a steady pressure head or negligible drainage flux from an initially saturated soil. However, the proposed criteria are mainly tested for uniform soils and vary with soil textures. To quantify FC in layered soils, a Richards equation-based model was used to describe water flow in fine-textured soils with a coarse interlayer. With calibrated soil hydraulic parameters for loam and sand from infiltration measurements, drainage from saturation was simulated in the loam with a sand interlayer. A relative drainage rate ( δ ) was defined as a function of water storage and drainage flux to analyze soil water status at FC. Soil water content in the upper loam layer of layered profiles was improved compared with that in the uniform loam, which was negatively correlated with buried depth but positively correlated with thickness of the sand layer for a specified δ . Under different buried depths and thicknesses, soil water content decreased with the decline of δ and decreased rapidly as δ reduced to 1 % d −1 . The drainage flux at δ = 1 % d −1 changed within a range of 0.056–0.26 cm d −1 , and soil water content reached to 0.278–0.346 cm 3 cm −3 , which accounted for 70–87 % of the saturated water content of loam. Although the FC in the upper fine-textured soil layer varied for different buried depths and thicknesses of coarse interlayer, the proposed dynamic method is reliable and universal to estimate the FC in the above layered soils at δ = 1 % d −1 . An empirical equation was also developed to calculate the FC in fine-textured soils with different buried depths and thicknesses of a coarse interlayer based on the critical δ value.