Versatile Soil Moisture Budget

The Versatile Soil Moisture Budget (VSMB) is a soil water budget model that is continuous and deterministic in nature and was developed by AAFC. It is based on the premise that the water available for plant growth is gained by precipitation or irrigation, and lost through evapotranspiration and runoff as well as lateral and deep drainage. The daily net loss or gain is added or subtracted from the water already present in the rooting zone. Water is withdrawn simultaneously, but at different rates, from different soil depths, depending on the potential evapotranspiration, the stage of crop development, the water release characteristics of each soil layer and the available water.