As part of the Smart Landscape project implemented with the support of Norwegian funds, the following activities were implemented in June 2022 on the Amálie University Farm in the working group "DSS Smart Landscape - Hydropedology":
1) Monitoring of soil moisture and soil and surface temperature in the forest part of Amálie near the farm's agricultural land was extended. A total of 13 sensors were installed in the spruce stand and 14 in the beech stand. TMS4 Tomst sensors were used. The measured data will help to describe the differences in the temperature and humidity regime of the agricultural landscape and forests of different species composition and also help to assess in more detail the effect of the proposed measures.
2) Furthermore, the soil moisture values measured by TMS4 sensors were checked using a more accurate TDR method (TRIME-PICO 64 IMKO). Undisturbed samples were also collected for the determination of reference soil moisture and bulk density for the validation of both indirect methods. In addition, disturbed samples were taken for soil particle size analysis.
3) Protective cages for TMS4 Tomst sensors were made. A total of 100 protective cages were made by bending and welding. Part of the protective cages was then placed on the newly installed sensors in the forest part. Part of the protective cage is ready for protection of TMS4 sensors, which will be located in the agricultural landscape.
4) Basic testing was performed in the laboratory for standardization of humidity and temperature signal on 50 TMS4 sensors. The test was performed in air, in demineralized water, with dry glass beads with a diameter of 4 mm and in saturated glass beads. The tested sensors are planned to be installed during July for monitoring the upper part of the soil in the agricultural landscape of Amálie in selected measures.
In mid-July (12 and 13.7.), field measurements of forest soil infiltration properties were carried out in selected monocultures of spruce, larch, and beech. The motivation for these measurements is primarily the fact that different soil development occurs based on the dominant tree species in the stand. In particular, the topsoil is significantly different in terms of the nature of the organic material and the architecture of the root system. Infiltration properties, which are crucial for the entry of rainfall into the soil, are strongly influenced by this fact.
Two methods were chosen for infiltration measurements. The first part of the measurements was carried out using single-ring method with a constant level of water. To ensure minimal impact to the topsoil, the water was maintained at a low level of 3 cm. For the second part of the measurement, a Guelph permeameter method was used in three repetitions to measure infiltration in the top 10 cm of soil in the borehole.
