Influence of soil bulk density on horizontal water infiltration

Abstract

Studies were conducted on soil columns of a silty clay loam packed at bulk densities of 1200, 1300 and 1400 kg/m3 to evaluate the influence of soil bulk density on water infiltration in the horizontal direction. Soil water diffusivity values were obtained by reversing the iterative procedure of Philip. A reduction to less than 25% in soil water diffusivity occurred near saturation with the increase in soil bulk density, but the influence of soil bulk density decreased with the decrease in relative water content. Lengths of infiltration, cumulative influx and infiltration rates also reduced markedly with the increase in soil bulk density from 1200 kg/m to 1400 kg/m3.