The researchers studied how soil moisture affects evaporation in a maize field. They combined two models to look at liquid water and vapor flow in the soil. As the maize grew, transpiration and interception became more important for water loss, while soil evaporation decreased. After rain, liquid water helped with evaporation, but when the soil dried out, vapor flow became crucial. Including vapor transport in the models changed the evaporation rates, especially when the soil was dry. This shows that understanding how vapor moves in the soil can impact how much water is lost through evaporation.