2.3.2 Hydric state of the soil
The soil water tension started to decrease around mid-March, at the end
of March, and at the beginning of April at 15, 30 and 45 cm depth,
respectively. This period corresponds to a decrease of the effective
rainfalls and is correlated with the end of the intense drainage period.
Measurements of the depth of the saturated zone confirm these results:
from mid-March, the saturated zone is present only when intense rainfall
event occurs and is always more than 14 cm below the soil surface. From
April, cracks progressively appear at the soil surface, that is
consistent with the decrease of the soil water tension.