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

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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. 
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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.