The cylindrical MLs were made of white polyethylene with 80 mm outside diameter, 76 mm inside diameter, and 100 mm height. In the upper part of the ML a wire handle was incorporated to facilitate its periodic extraction from the holes made in each position.
The MLs were filled with undisturbed soil by inserting them in some wetted areas close to the experimental area one day after an irrigation event. Therefore, the initial gravimetric soil water content was slightly above field capacity in all MLs (average of 29.6 g per 100 g as compared to a value of 26.0 g per 100 g at field capacity). After filling, the bottoms of the MLs were sealed with black polyethylene film. The MLs were weighed just before installation. Afterwards, the MLs were extracted and weighed with a portable balance (0.01 g precision) at around 10:30 am at different date intervals. After each weighing, the MLs were located again in their previous positions. This process was followed in two periods: 27 June–7 July and 26 July–25 August 2011.