Solute transport in cinnamon soil: measurement and simulation using stochastic models

Solute concentration and water content profiles were measured from an area of 3 m×6 m to a depth of 1.8 m in cinnamon soil. Spatial variability of soil water content and concentration were simulated using a stochastic model. The results showed that the effect of soil variability on soil water distributions was relatively small, but the concentration distribution exhibited a profound variability in the field, especially within the zones with peak values in the vertical profiles. The stochastic convection model and the stochastic convection-dispersion model were used to study mean concentration and concentration variance. Comparison of the simulation results with the field experimental data showed that the stochastic convection–dispersion model, with lower error statistics values (ARE, ME, SEE, and CV), described the mean concentration reasonably well. It also appeared that due to deep leaching, less nutrients will be available for crops in the case of flood irrigation.