Mapping soil water properties using soil samples and satellite images in the irrigated area of Biota (Spain)

Mapping Total Available Water (TAW) is particularly challenging in shallow, stony soils with limited water retention, as in the Monte Saso de Biota irrigated area (1185 ha, Zaragoza, Spain). TAW maps are needed to optimize water and energy for pumping. The objective was to elaborate and assess two t...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Bongiovanni Ferreyra, Marcos Gabriel, Laguet, A., Paniagua, P., García, E., Romano, C., Fernández-Pato, Javier, Zapata, Nery, Playán Jubillar, Enrique
Format: info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo
Language:Inglés
Published: Springer 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/24967
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00271-025-01050-9
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-025-01050-9
_version_ 1855039039365709824
author Bongiovanni Ferreyra, Marcos Gabriel
Laguet, A.
Paniagua, P.
García, E.
Romano, C.
Fernández-Pato, Javier
Zapata, Nery
Playán Jubillar, Enrique
author_browse Bongiovanni Ferreyra, Marcos Gabriel
Fernández-Pato, Javier
García, E.
Laguet, A.
Paniagua, P.
Playán Jubillar, Enrique
Romano, C.
Zapata, Nery
author_facet Bongiovanni Ferreyra, Marcos Gabriel
Laguet, A.
Paniagua, P.
García, E.
Romano, C.
Fernández-Pato, Javier
Zapata, Nery
Playán Jubillar, Enrique
author_sort Bongiovanni Ferreyra, Marcos Gabriel
collection INTA Digital
description Mapping Total Available Water (TAW) is particularly challenging in shallow, stony soils with limited water retention, as in the Monte Saso de Biota irrigated area (1185 ha, Zaragoza, Spain). TAW maps are needed to optimize water and energy for pumping. The objective was to elaborate and assess two types of maps: quantitative, using regressions of Sentinel-2 imagery with field data, and the classic qualitative approach, with soil units based on field data and terrain analysis. A field campaign obtained 172 soil samples and TAW was estimated from field capacity (FC), wilting point (WP), bulk density, stoniness (STO) and effective depth (Z). A database of 82 winter–spring bare-soil Sentinel-2 images (2018–2024) informed predictive models, in which bands B02, B08, B11, and B12 were frequent predictors. Single-date and multiple-date (combi) models were developed, using 70% of field data. Combi models provided better predictive equations than single-date models. The best models reached coefficients of determination (R²) of 92% for WP, 89% for Z, 84% for STO, 77% for TAW, and 72% for FC. Models were ranked by performance and applied at pixel scale to elaborate quantitative maps. Validation used 30% of samples, obtaining R² of 19–45%. In parallel, a qualitative TAW map was produced using four units. The quantitative TAW map was successfully compared with maize yield maps (correlation coefficient of 0.35). Both types of maps captured terrain-related patterns, but the quantitative TAW map offered finer spatial detail, providing greater value for irrigation management studies.
format info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo
id INTA24967
institution Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina)
language Inglés
publishDate 2026
publishDateRange 2026
publishDateSort 2026
publisher Springer
publisherStr Springer
record_format dspace
spelling INTA249672026-01-09T14:28:55Z Mapping soil water properties using soil samples and satellite images in the irrigated area of Biota (Spain) Bongiovanni Ferreyra, Marcos Gabriel Laguet, A. Paniagua, P. García, E. Romano, C. Fernández-Pato, Javier Zapata, Nery Playán Jubillar, Enrique Riego Disponibilidad del Agua Imágenes por Satélites Gestión del Riego Agua del Suelo Irrigation Water Availability Satellite Imagery Irrigation Management Soil Water Monte Saso de Biota, España Mapping Total Available Water (TAW) is particularly challenging in shallow, stony soils with limited water retention, as in the Monte Saso de Biota irrigated area (1185 ha, Zaragoza, Spain). TAW maps are needed to optimize water and energy for pumping. The objective was to elaborate and assess two types of maps: quantitative, using regressions of Sentinel-2 imagery with field data, and the classic qualitative approach, with soil units based on field data and terrain analysis. A field campaign obtained 172 soil samples and TAW was estimated from field capacity (FC), wilting point (WP), bulk density, stoniness (STO) and effective depth (Z). A database of 82 winter–spring bare-soil Sentinel-2 images (2018–2024) informed predictive models, in which bands B02, B08, B11, and B12 were frequent predictors. Single-date and multiple-date (combi) models were developed, using 70% of field data. Combi models provided better predictive equations than single-date models. The best models reached coefficients of determination (R²) of 92% for WP, 89% for Z, 84% for STO, 77% for TAW, and 72% for FC. Models were ranked by performance and applied at pixel scale to elaborate quantitative maps. Validation used 30% of samples, obtaining R² of 19–45%. In parallel, a qualitative TAW map was produced using four units. The quantitative TAW map was successfully compared with maize yield maps (correlation coefficient of 0.35). Both types of maps captured terrain-related patterns, but the quantitative TAW map offered finer spatial detail, providing greater value for irrigation management studies. EEA Hilario Ascasubi Fil: Bongiovanni Ferreyra, Marcos Gabriel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Hilario Ascasubi; Argentina Fil: Bongiovanni Ferreyra, Marcos Gabriel. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Departmen of Soil and Water; España Fil: Laguet, A. Polytech Nice-Sophia; Francia Fil: Paniagua, P. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Departmen of Soil and Water; España Fil: García, E. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Department of Soil and Water; España Fil: Romano, C. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Department of Soil and Water; España Fil: Fernández-Pato, Javier. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Department of Soil and Water; España Fil: Fernández-Pato, Javier. ARAID Foundation; España Fil: Zapata, Nery. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Department of Soil and Water; España Fil: Playán Jubillar, Enrique. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Department of Soil and Water; España 2026-01-09T14:25:12Z 2026-01-09T14:25:12Z 2026-01 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/24967 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00271-025-01050-9 0342-7188 1432-1319 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-025-01050-9 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf Springer Irrigation Science 44 : article number 3. (January 2026)
spellingShingle Riego
Disponibilidad del Agua
Imágenes por Satélites
Gestión del Riego
Agua del Suelo
Irrigation
Water Availability
Satellite Imagery
Irrigation Management
Soil Water
Monte Saso de Biota, España
Bongiovanni Ferreyra, Marcos Gabriel
Laguet, A.
Paniagua, P.
García, E.
Romano, C.
Fernández-Pato, Javier
Zapata, Nery
Playán Jubillar, Enrique
Mapping soil water properties using soil samples and satellite images in the irrigated area of Biota (Spain)
title Mapping soil water properties using soil samples and satellite images in the irrigated area of Biota (Spain)
title_full Mapping soil water properties using soil samples and satellite images in the irrigated area of Biota (Spain)
title_fullStr Mapping soil water properties using soil samples and satellite images in the irrigated area of Biota (Spain)
title_full_unstemmed Mapping soil water properties using soil samples and satellite images in the irrigated area of Biota (Spain)
title_short Mapping soil water properties using soil samples and satellite images in the irrigated area of Biota (Spain)
title_sort mapping soil water properties using soil samples and satellite images in the irrigated area of biota spain
topic Riego
Disponibilidad del Agua
Imágenes por Satélites
Gestión del Riego
Agua del Suelo
Irrigation
Water Availability
Satellite Imagery
Irrigation Management
Soil Water
Monte Saso de Biota, España
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/24967
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00271-025-01050-9
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-025-01050-9
work_keys_str_mv AT bongiovanniferreyramarcosgabriel mappingsoilwaterpropertiesusingsoilsamplesandsatelliteimagesintheirrigatedareaofbiotaspain
AT lagueta mappingsoilwaterpropertiesusingsoilsamplesandsatelliteimagesintheirrigatedareaofbiotaspain
AT paniaguap mappingsoilwaterpropertiesusingsoilsamplesandsatelliteimagesintheirrigatedareaofbiotaspain
AT garciae mappingsoilwaterpropertiesusingsoilsamplesandsatelliteimagesintheirrigatedareaofbiotaspain
AT romanoc mappingsoilwaterpropertiesusingsoilsamplesandsatelliteimagesintheirrigatedareaofbiotaspain
AT fernandezpatojavier mappingsoilwaterpropertiesusingsoilsamplesandsatelliteimagesintheirrigatedareaofbiotaspain
AT zapatanery mappingsoilwaterpropertiesusingsoilsamplesandsatelliteimagesintheirrigatedareaofbiotaspain
AT playanjubillarenrique mappingsoilwaterpropertiesusingsoilsamplesandsatelliteimagesintheirrigatedareaofbiotaspain