@misc{10481/107239,
year = {2025},
month = {10},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10481/107239},
abstract = {Water scarcity in semi-arid regions necessitates accurate soil water modeling to opti-
mize irrigation management. This study compares three HYDRUS-1D parameterization
approaches—based on the drying-branch soil water retention curve (SWRC), wetting-
branch SWRC (using Shani’s drip method), and inverse modeling—to simulating soil water
content at 15 cm and 45 cm depths under center-pivot irrigation in a semi-arid region.
Field experiments in three maize fields provided daily soil water, soil hydraulic, and me-
teorological data. Inverse modeling achieved the highest accuracy (NRMSE: 2.29–7.40%;
RMSE: 0.006–0.023 cm3 cm−3), particularly at 15 cm depth, by calibrating van Genuchten
parameters against observed water content. The wetting-branch approach outperformed
the drying branch at the same depth, capturing irrigation-induced wetting processes more
effectively. Statistical validation confirmed the robustness of inverse modeling in repro-
ducing temporal patterns, while wetting-branch data improved deep-layer accuracy. The
results demonstrate that inverse modeling is a reliable approach for soil water simulation
and irrigation management, whereas the wetting-branch parameterization offers a practical,
field-adaptable alternative. This study provides one of the first side-by-side evaluations of
these three modeling approaches under real-world semi-arid conditions.},
publisher = {MDPI},
keywords = {soil hydraulic parameters},
keywords = {wetting and drying branches},
keywords = {dripper method},
keywords = {field calibration},
keywords = {root zone modeling},
title = {Improving Soil Water Simulation in Semi-Arid Agriculture: A Comparative Evaluation of Water Retention Curves and Inverse Modeling Using HYDRUS-1D},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.3390/ hydrology12100273},
author = {Rasoulzadeh, Ali and Kohan, Mohammad Reza and Amirzadeh, Arash and Heydari, Mahsa and Mobaser, Javanshir Azizi and Raoof, Majid and Moghadam, Javad Ramezani and Fernández-Gálvez, Jesús},
}