2.2.1. Weather conditions and SWC
An automated weather station at the experimental site
registered daily maximum and minimum temperatures, precipitation
and air humidity.
In every cropping season, soil samples were collected at sowing,
tillering, beginning of stem extension, anthesis and harvest for
determinations of SWC. The soil samples were taken using a 4 cm
diameter soil auger. At each sampling, two samples per plot were
taken at 25 cm increments to a depth of 100 cm. To reduce the
effects of spatial variability on successive samplings, soil samplings
were conducted on two regions of 10 m2, 15 m away from each end
of the plot.
Gravimetric