Two published salinity models (designated the Rhoades and Mualem-Friedman models, respectively) were examinedfor application to real-time soil water estimation using apparent soil electrical conductivity. Field data were collectedat two sites representing a range of soil types in central Texas: high shrinking-swelling Vertisols in Temple (the Heiden Claysite) and clay loam soils at the Texas A&M University Research Farm near College Station (the Westwood Scl site). TheRhoades-Corwin model developed for the Heiden Clay site yielded an R2 of 0.72 following calibration, predicted soil waterwithin 0.02 g g-1 during validation, and was deemed generally applicable for real-time soil water estimation. TheRhoades-Corwin model developed for the Westwood Scl site gave an R2 of 0.65 following calibration but could not bevalidated at the site and therefore was not considered applicable for real-time soil water estimation. A modified version ofthe Rhoades-Corwin model yielded a calibrated R2 of 0.91 at the Westwood Scl site with validation predictions within 0.02 gg-1. The Mualem-Friedman model predicted soil water within 0.05 g g-1 at the Heiden Clay site and was consideredappropriate for real-time soil water estimation. At the Westwood Scl site, the Mualem-Friedman model could not beevaluated since saturation data were not available. Both models show promise for use for real-time, non-invasive soil watercontent estimation using apparent electrical conductivity, but additional testing is needed.
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Akbar et al. (2005) studied this question.