Quick Dips

Soil Mathematics

Mathematicians and physicists are combining forces at DSIR Fruit and Trees to develop mathematical models of how plants, soil, nutrients and water interact. By developing the models, they hope to be able to produce better management strategies and provide better advice for farmers, orchardists and forest managers.

"Mathematics allows you to test the `what ifs'", says DSIR environmental physicist Dr Brent Clothier. While the actual maths may be horrendous, Clothier says that it can provide a useful approach to soil science.

The models can show what happens if there's a chemical spill on a particular type of soil, or what happens if a variety of irrigation patterns are used. Local bodies are interested in models of how leaching from rural septic tanks affects the soil. Hawke's Bay orchardists have used the models to gain a broad understanding of the best ways to water their apples.

There's a great deal of international interest in this area, according to Clothier. He produces the WISPAS newsletter about water in the soil-plant-atmosphere system, publishing reports from all over the world.