A Simple Method Using High Matric Suction Calibration Points to Optimize Soil–Water Characteristic Curves Derived from the Centrifuge Method

Bo Li, Hongyi Pan, Yue Tian and Xiaoyan Jiao ()
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Bo Li: College of Resources and Environment, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
Hongyi Pan: College of Resources and Environment, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
Yue Tian: Jinzhong Water Conservancy Development Center, Jinzhong 030606, China
Xiaoyan Jiao: College of Resources and Environment, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan 030031, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 21, 1-22

Abstract: The centrifuge method serves as an efficient and rapid approach for determining the soil–water characteristic curve (SWCC). However, soil shrinkage during centrifugation remains overlooked and prior modified methods may suffer from complex operations, high costs, time consumption, and limited applicability. To address these issues, this study introduces a simple correction scheme (G3) for determining drying SWCCs using the centrifuge method based on high matric suction calibration points. The performance of the proposed G3 method was systematically evaluated against a modified method considering soil shrinkage (G1) and the conventional uncorrected method (G2). Results revealed significant soil linear shrinkage post-centrifugation, accompanied by a reduction in total soil porosity and an increase in soil bulk density. SWCCs from all methods exhibited strong consistency at low matric suction ranges but diverged markedly at high matric suction segments. High matric suction data dominated the SWCC fitting. The G1 method achieved the highest fitting accuracy, while the G3 method performed the worst yet maintained acceptable reliability. The G2 method yielded optimal SWCC for simulating saturated soil water content, field capacity, and permanent wilting point. Conversely, Hydrus-1D simulations revealed superior performance of the G3 method in simulating farmland soil moisture dynamics during the dehumidification process. Values of R 2 across methods followed G3 > G1 > G2, while mean absolute error, mean absolute percentage error, and root mean square error exhibited the opposite trend. These findings highlight that the previous modified approaches are more suitable for low and medium matric suction ranges. The proposed correction method enhances drying SWCC performance across the full matric suction range, offering a practical refinement for the centrifuge method. This advancement could enhance the reliability in soil hydraulic characterization and contribute to a better understanding of the hydraulic–mechanical–chemical behavior in soils.

Keywords: soil water characteristic curve; centrifuge method; soil shrinkage; high matric suction calibration points; Hydrus-1D model; van Genuchten model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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