摘要
Spatial pattern and interdependence of different soil and plant parameters were examined in green bean field experiment carried out at the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari （MAIB）, Italy. The study aimed to identify the spatial distribution of soil and plant parameters and their relationship at transects scale. The experiment consisted of three transects of 30 m length and 4.2 m width, irrigated with three different salinity levels （1 dSm＂1, 3 dSm1, 6 dSml）. Soil measurements （electrical conductivity and soil water content） were monitored along each transect in 24 sites, using TDR probe installed vertically at soil surface. Water storage was measured by using Diviner sensor for calculating directly the evapotranspiration fluxes along the whole soil profile under the different salinity levels imposed during the experiment. In the same 24 sites, crop monitoring involved measurements of Leaf Area Index （LAI）, Osmotic Potential （OP）, Root length Density （RID） and Evapotranspiration fluxes （ET）. Soil and plant properties were analyzed using both classical and geostatistical methods which included descriptive statistics, semivariograms and cross-semivariograms. Results indicated that moderate to large spatial variability existed across the field for soil and plant parameters, especially under the 6 dSm1 salinity treatment. A relatively satisfactory fit of the experimental cross-semivariogram was obtained for the 6 dS1, thus indicating similar spatial structures of the pairs of compared variables. By contrast, the experimental cross-semivariograms observed under the 3 dS~ treatment indicated no significant correlation structure between the compared variables. Overall, the results observed in the 3 dSm-1 were not significantly different from those obtained in the 1 dSm-1 transect and suggested a general insensitivity of the crop response to those levels of salinity.
