Evaluation of the Relationship Between Infiltration Rate and Some Soil Properties under Different Land-Use

Abstract

Soil infiltration rate (IR) is an important parameter and a good indicator of soil quality and fertility. The most influential factors for all conditions where the best performance in infiltration surveys is achieved are soil properties and land-use type. Therefore, a detailed understanding of infiltration is required for different land-use complexes. In this study, the effects of soil properties on IR in soils under different land-uses (pasture, fallow, and orchard) were investigated. Soil samples were taken from 30 points determined by GPS from 3 land-uses within the border of the Çubuk district of Ankara Province, Turkey. IR (with Minidisc infiltrometer, MDI), bulk density, and penetration resistance were measured in undisturbed soil samples. Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) and sorptivity were obtained from infiltration measurements. Soil parametric analyses and morphological descriptions were made in disturbed soil samples. In order to digitize the morphological properties, the coding system was created with the help of soil identification cards. The average IR value was found to be the highest in the orchard and the lowest in pasture samples. Correlation analysis, one-way ANOVA, and factor analyses were used to evaluate the relationships between soil variables and IR. IR showed the highest correlation with sorptivity (0.72), sand (0.69), and Ks (0.86) in the pasture, fallow, and orchard, respectively. IR in different land-uses was loaded on the same factors with different soil variables. Due to different land management practices, such additional measurements need to be made to accurately assess the potential impact of land-use and management changes on agricultural activities.