Publication Details |
| Category | Text Publication |
| Reference Category | Journals |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110536 |
Licence  |
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| Title (Primary) | Deep soil water dynamics and water productivity indicate partial buffering of yield losses across land-use systems during drought |
| Author | Wu, M.; Roscher, C.; Schädler, M.
; Tarkka, M.; Vetterlein, D.; Schlueter, S. |
| Source Titel | Agricultural Water Management |
| Year | 2026 |
| Department | BZF; PHYDIV; BOSYS; AECOL |
| Volume | 333 |
| Page From | art. 110536 |
| Language | englisch |
| Topic | T5 Future Landscapes |
| Data and Software links | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15853906 |
| Supplements | Supplement 1 |
| Keywords | Climate change; Cropland; Grassland; Water cycling; Root length density; Plant community composition |
| Abstract | Climate
extremes, including prolonged droughts and increasingly frequent heavy
rainfall events, are projected to intensify, threatening the global
water cycle and agricultural productivity. Deep soil water storage may
contribute to buffering such extremes, yet its influence on plant
productivity and water use across agroecosystems under realistic
climatic variability remains insufficiently understood. Here, we
monitored soil moisture dynamics and vegetation responses in a field
trial in Central Germany comprising five land-use types (two croplands:
conventional and organic farming; three grasslands: intensive meadow,
extensive meadow, and extensive pasture) over three years that included
prolonged droughts and an extreme rainfall event. Past droughts strongly
affected deep soil water storage (30–110 cm), creating legacy effects
that shaped subsequent soil water availability and productivity
responses. Extensive grasslands showed stronger depletion of deep soil
water storage than intensive grasslands and croplands, likely driven by
longer transpiration periods and greater canopy interception. In
parallel, water productivity (harvested aboveground biomass per unit
actual evapotranspiration) increased with land-use intensity, reflecting
shorter growing periods in croplands and higher mowing frequency in
intensive grasslands. However, neither deep soil water storage nor
higher water productivity fully compensated for prolonged water
limitations, leading to yield losses under severe droughts
(precipitation < 180 mm and standardized
precipitation-evapotranspiration index < −1 during the growing
season). Our findings indicate that deep soil water storage and water
productivity represent complementary but independent factors
contributing to ecosystem resistance under drought conditions,
highlighting the importance of integrating deep soil water dynamics and
land-use-specific management strategies into agricultural water
management. |
| Wu, M., Roscher, C., Schädler, M., Tarkka, M., Vetterlein, D., Schlueter, S. (2026): Deep soil water dynamics and water productivity indicate partial buffering of yield losses across land-use systems during drought Agric. Water Manage. 333 , art. 110536 10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110536 |
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