Articles | Volume 77, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-77-39-2022
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-77-39-2022
Standard article
 | 
14 Jan 2022
Standard article |  | 14 Jan 2022

The potential of fragipans in sustaining pearl millet during drought periods in north-central Namibia

Brice Prudat, Wolfgang Fister, Lena Bloemertz, Juliane Krenz, and Nikolaus J. Kuhn

Related authors

Particle Swarm Optimization for Woody Vegetation Assessment in a Semi-Arid Savannah Ecosystem
Nesisa Analisa Nyathi, Juliane Krenz, Andrea Meier, Brigitte Kuhn, and Nikolaus J. Kuhn
ISPRS Ann. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XI-3-2026, 583–592, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-XI-3-2026-583-2026,https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-XI-3-2026-583-2026, 2026
Computational sedimentation modelling calibration: a tool to measure the settling velocity under different gravity conditions
Nikolaus J. Kuhn and Federica Trudu
Earth Surf. Dynam., 13, 549–561, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-549-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-549-2025, 2025
Short summary
Assessing hillslope sediment generation potential by tree throw: a preliminary field study along a small river valley in the Jura Mountains, northwest Switzerland
Philip Greenwood, Jan Bauer, and Nikolaus J. Kuhn
Geogr. Helv., 76, 319–333, https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-76-319-2021,https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-76-319-2021, 2021
Short summary

Cited articles

Ali, M., Jensen, C. R., Mogensen V. O., and Bahrun A.: Drought adaptation of field grown wheat in relation to soil physical conditions, Plant Soil, 208, 1, 149–159, https://https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004535819197, 1999. 
Alkhaier, F., Flerchinger, G. N., and Su, Z.: Shallow groundwater effect on land surface temperature and surface energy balance under bare soil conditions: modeling and description, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 1817–1831, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-1817-2012, 2012. 
Araki, H., Hossain, M. A., and Takahashi, T.: Waterlogging and Hypoxia have Permanent Effects on Wheat Root Growth and Respiration, J. Agron. Crop. Sci., 198, 264–275, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-037X.2012.00510.x, 2012. 
Central Bureau of Statistics: Report on the Annual Agricultural Surveys 1996–2003: Basic Analysis of Communal Agriculture, Survey, National Planning Commission, Windhoek, Namibia, 2003. 
Download
Short summary
Soil quality depends on water availability for plants. Sandy soils with a poorly permeable layer (fragipan) are considered inept for agriculture. However they are cultivated in Namibia as they secure a minimum harvest during droughts. In order to understand the hydrological influence of fragipans in these soils, soil moisture content was measured. The results illustrate that the combination of sandy topsoil and shallow fragipan has beneficial effects on plant-available water during dry periods.
Share