Stony Soils Research Articles

The influence of stoniness and canopy properties on soil water content distribution: simulation of water movement in forest stony soil

Mountainous forest soils usually contain a large number of rock fragments (particle diameter >2 mm), which influence soil properties. Data characterizing hydraulic properties of these soils usually describe only the fine soil fraction (particle diameter <2 mm) properties. To quantitatively describe soil water movement in stony soils, it is necessary to evaluate effective hydrophysical characteristics, involving the influence of stones, that is, the effective hydraulic conductivity and retention capacity should be known. Properties of evaporating surface (plant canopy) also play important role in formation of soil water movement and retention. This work presents results of the study of rock fragments (stoniness) effect on soil water content profiles and soil water dynamics during the season. Stony and homogeneous soil behavior is compared. The effect of different canopies (spruce forest, low vegetation) and bare soil in both types of soils on soil water dynamics is also studied. Stones as a part of soil are decreasing its water capacity and hydraulic conductivity as well. This is expressing in the decrease of stony soil water content retention capacity. High interception capacity of trees, followed by the low undercanopy precipitation, leads to the decreased soil water content of the upper soil layer. Combination of stony soil and dense forest canopy led to the low undercanopy precipitation, to relatively low infiltration totals into soil, and to decreased outflow.

Litter decomposition in fynbos vegetation, South Africa

The Western Cape of South Africa is characterized by the hyperdiverse vegetation of the Fynbos biome. Typical fynbos vegetation is a fire-adapted sclerophyllous Mediterranean-type ecosystem on poor, sandy or stony soils. It is characterized by plants with low nutrient content producing slowly decomposing litter. Fire is recognized as a major factor for carbon and nutrient cycling in this vegetation type. However, knowledge of biological decomposition processes in this biome is limited. We used litter-bags to measure mass loss and changes in chemical composition in litter from three species representing characteristic taxa in fynbos, a Protea exima hybrid, Erica multumbellifera, and Restio multiflorus, during approximately 180 days. In addition, we used a standard litter of a species with high nutrient content, Galenia africana, and a mixture of Protea and Erica. We compare our results with a previous study from renosterveld including the geophyte Watsonia borbonica, which occurs in both vegetation types and occurs commonly in the study area. We found that decomposition rate among the true fynbos plant species P. exima, E. multumbellifera, R. multiflorus and W. borbonica varied almost eight-fold. Litter decomposition was strongly correlated to litter stoichiometry, i.e. C/N and C/P-ratios. Most litters accumulated one or several nutrients during the study period. The mixture of litters decomposed faster than expected from the results of each litter separately. Our study indicates that biological decomposition may be more important for carbon and nutrient cycling in fynbos than previously thought. These results are in accordance with recent studies showing large variation in plant litter quality within vegetation types and biomes. Such large variation in litter quality and decomposition rate suggests that some generalisations about ecosystem processes in the fynbos may need reevaluation.

Impact of subsurface rock fragments on runoff and interrill soil loss from cultivated soils

ABSTRACTField and laboratory studies have indicated that rock fragments in the topsoil may have a large impact on soil properties, soil quality, hydraulic, hydrological and erosion processes. In most studies, the rock fragments investigated still remain visible at the soil surface and only properties of these visible rock fragments are used for predicting runoff and soil loss. However, there are indications that rock fragments completely incorporated in the topsoil could also significantly influence the percolation and water distribution in stony soils and therefore, also infiltration, runoff and soil loss rates. Therefore, in this study interrill laboratory experiments with simulated rainfall for 60 min were conducted to assess the influence of subsurface rock fragments incorporated in a disturbed silt loam soil at different depths below the soil surface (i.e. 0.001, 0.01, 0.05 and 0.10 m), on infiltration, surface runoff and interrill erosion processes for small and large rock fragment sizes (i.e. mean diameter 0.04 and 0.20 m, respectively). Although only small differences in infiltration rate and runoff volume are observed between the soil without rock fragments (control) and the one with subsurface rock fragments, considerable differences in total interrill soil loss are observed between the control treatment and both contrasting rock fragments sizes. This is explained by a rapid increase in soil moisture in the areas above the rock fragments and therefore a decrease in topsoil cohesion compared with the control soil profile. The observed differences in runoff volume and interrill soil loss between the control plots and those with subsurface rock fragments is largest after a cumulative rainfall (Pcum) of 11 mm and progressively decreases with increasing Pcum. The results highlight the impacts and complexity of subsurface rock fragments on the production of runoff volume and soil loss and requires their inclusion in process‐based runoff and erosion models. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

The contribution of rock fragments to the available water content of stony soils: Proposition of new pedotransfer functions

The contribution of rock fragments to the soil available water content (SAWC) of stony soil has been quantified by measurements of bulk density and gravimetric water content at different water potentials on rock fragments of different lithologies: flints, cherts, chalks, gaizes and limestones. More than 1000 pebbles (2 cm < equivalent diameter of the rock fragment < 5 cm) have been sampled in stony soils developed from each of the five lithologies. We demonstrated that the water content at saturation of the studied pebbles was equal to the water content at −100 hPa and to the water content at field capacity. A linear relationship between the water content at −100 hPa and at −15,840 hPa enabled to derive a simple pedotransfer function to determine the available water content of the rock fragments. We also proposed a second simple pedotransfer function, which expresses the available water content from the dry bulk density of the rock fragments only. A simulation at the horizon scale for a loamy-clay stony horizon showed that the SAWC could be strongly misjudged when the rock fragments were not taken into account: for a stony horizon containing 30% of pebbles, the SAWC is underestimated by 5% for chert pebbles and by 33% for chalk pebbles.

Assessment of sediment and erosion rates by using the caesium-137 technique in a Chinese polygonal karst depression

Karst depressions comprise geomorphologically important sources and sinks for sediments and associated pollutants; yet the sedimentology of many depressions is not well understood in the world. In this paper, the 137Cs technique was employed to estimate recent sedimentation rates in a Chinese polygonal karst depression. The results indicate that the sediment deposition rates ranged from 0.91 to 1.97 mm year−1 from 1963 to 2007, and the average sediment deposition rate and specific deposit yield were estimated to be 1.47 mm year−1 and 20 t km−2 year−1, respectively. These results are consistent with the local monitoring data of runoff fields, which confirms the validity of the overall approach. This shows that the soil loss rate is very low in some karst areas of Southwest China. Above all, the approach appears to offer valuable potential to study surface erosion by estimating sediment deposition rates of karst depressions, rather than the assessment of complicated soil erosion in stony soils of carbonate rock slopes. In addition, the space distribution of surface soil and 137Cs inventories are affected remarkably by the inhomogeneous dissolution of limestone under the soil. It may be an important phenomenon, which exists widely in karst areas, and it is significantly different from other places.

Solute transport scales in an unsaturated stony soil

Solute transport parameters are known to be scale-dependent due mainly to the increasing scale of heterogeneities with transport distance and with the lateral extent of the transport field examined. Based on a transect solute transport experiment, in this paper we studied this scale dependence by distinguishing three different scales with different homogeneity degrees of the porous medium: the observation scale, transport scale and transect scale. The main objective was to extend the approach proposed by van Wesenbeeck and Kachanoski to evaluating the role of textural heterogeneities on the transition from the observation scale to the transport scale. The approach is based on the scale dependence of transport moments estimated from solute concentrations distributions. In our study, these moments were calculated starting from time normalized resident concentrations measured by time domain reflectometry (TDR) probes at three depths in 37 soil sites 1 m apart along a transect during a steady state transport experiment. The Generalized Transfer Function (GTF) was used to describe the evolution of apparent solute spreading along the soil profile at each observation site by analyzing the propagation of the moments of the concentration distributions. Spectral analysis was used to quantify the relationship between the solid phase heterogeneities (namely, texture and stones) and the scale dependence of the solute transport parameters. Coupling the two approaches allowed us to identify two different transport scales (around 4–5 m and 20 m, respectively) mainly induced by the spatial pattern of soil textural properties. The analysis showed that the larger transport scale is mainly determined by the skeleton pattern of variability. Our analysis showed that the organization in hierarchical levels of soil variability may have major effects on the differences between solute transport behavior at transport scale and transect scale, as the transect scale parameters will include information from different scales of heterogeneities.

The application of caesium-137 measurements to estimate recent sedimentation rates in a typical karst depression of Guizhou Plateau, China

The existing traditional methods of assessing the rates of soil loss have many limitations and are difficult to apply in the karst areas of Southwest China. Karst depressions comprise geomorphologically important sources and sinks for sediments and associated pollutants, yet the sedimentology of many depressions is not well understood. In this paper, the 137Cs technique was employed to investigate recent sedimentation rates in a Chinese polygonal karst depression. The results indicated that the sediment deposition rates ranged from 0.91 to 1.97 mm·a−1 in the period from 1963 to 2007, and the average sediment deposition rate and specific deposit yield of the catchment were estimated to be 1.47 mm·a−1 and 20 t·km−2·a−1, respectively. The results obtained were consistent with the local monitoring data of runoff plots, confirming the validity of the overall approach. It was shown that soil loss rates were very low in some karst areas of Southwest China. Above all, the approach appears to offer valuable potential to study surface erosion by estimating sediment deposition rates of karst depressions, rather than the assessment of complicated soil erosion in stony soils of carbonate rock slopes. In addition, the spacial distribution of surface soil and 137Cs inventories was affected remarkably by the inhomogeneous dissolution of limestone under the soil. It may be an important phenomenon which exists widely in the karst areas and is significantly different from other places.

Determining the influence of stones on hydraulic conductivity of saturated soils using numerical method

Mountainous soils usually contain a large number of rock fragments (particle diameter > 2 mm), which influence soil hydraulic and retention properties. Data characterizing the properties of these soils usually describe only the fine earth (particle diameter < 2 mm). To quantitatively describe soil water movement in stony soils, their most important characteristic, i.e., the effective saturated hydraulic conductivity ( K se ), must be known. The objective of this study was to use a numerical method for estimating the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity that depends on relative stone content (stoniness), and sizes and shapes of stony parts. The method is based on a numerical version of the classical experiment of Darcy. The steady-state water flow under a unit hydraulic gradient through hypothetical soils containing stones was simulated using the two-dimensional simulation model HYDRUS-2D. Four soil textural types were considered. Special attention was paid to the moraine soil from the FIRE site in High Tatras. A relationship between the relative saturated hydraulic conductivity, K r , and the relative stone content, R v , was derived. K r ( R v ) function is decreasing slower for larger stones. Numerical results were used to propose an empirical equation to estimate K r of soils containing rock fragments of a spherical shape of various diameters.

137Cs Redistribution in Thin Stony Soil of a Carbonate Rock Slope in Southwest China

The fallout radionuclide cesium-137 ( 137Cs) has been widely employed as a tracer for assessment of soil loss from thick uniform soils; however, few studies have been conducted on thin stony soils on slopes underlain by carbonate rocks which are widely distributed in karst areas. Information derived from 137Cs measurement of soil samples collected along a carbonate rock slope with thin stony soil where neither soil erosion nor deposition occurred was used to investigate the characteristics of 137Cs redistribution in a karst area of Southwest China. The results indicated that the 137Cs inventories of the surface soil on the slope studied were much lower than that of the local 137Cs reference inventory and the 137Cs activities were much higher than those on slopes with thick uniform soils. The spatial distribution of 137Cs inventories was characterized by considerable variation. The high 137Cs depletion in the stony soil of the slope studied was mainly because a considerable proportion of the fallout input of 137Cs could be lost with runoff and the dissolution of carbonate particles in the soil promoted the loss of 137Cs. These demonstrated that the rates of soil loss could not be estimated from the degree of depletion of the 137Cs inventory relative to the local reference inventory for the thin stony soil of the rocky slope underlain by carbonate rocks in the study area in the way that has been widely used in areas with thick uniform soils.

Spatio-temporal evolution of rocky desertification and its driving forces in karst areas of Northwestern Guangxi, China

Rocky desertification (RD) is a process of land degradation that often results in extensive soil erosion, bedrock exposure and considerable decrease of land productivity. The spatio-temporal evolution of RD not only reflects regional ecological environmental changes but also directly impacts regional economic and social development. The study area, Hechi, is a typical karst peak cluster depression area in southwest China. Remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS) and statistical techniques were employed to examine the evolution, including the identification of driving forces, of karst RD in the Northwestern Guangxi. The results indicate that RD became most apparent between 1990 and 2005 when areas of various types of RD increased. Within the karst RD landscape, slight RD was identified as the matrix of the landscape while potential RD had the largest patch sizes. Extremely strong RD, with the simplest shape, was the most influenced by human activities. Overall the landscape evolved from fragmented to agglomerate within the 15-year timeframe. Land condition changes were categorized as five types; desertified, recovered, unchanged, worsened, and alleviated land. The largest turnover within the RD landscape was between slight and moderate RD. With regards to the driving forces all RD had been increasingly influenced by human activities (i.e., the stronger the RD, the stronger the intensity of human disturbances). Dominant impact factors of the RD landscape had shifted from town influence and bare rock land in 1990 to bare rock and grassland in 2005. Moreover, the impacts of stony soil, mountainous proportion and river density on RD increased over time, while that of others decreased. The significant factors included human activities, land use, soil types, environmental geology, and topography. However, only anthropogenic factors (human activities and land use) were reported as leading factors whereas the others acted simply as constraining factors.

Aggregate Development and Organic Matter Storage in Mediterranean Mountain Soils

Soil aggregation and organic matter of soils from the pre-Pyrenean range in Catalonia (NE Spain) were studied, in order to assess their quality as carbon sinks and also to select the best soil management practices to preserve their quality. Aggregate stability, organic carbon and micromorphology were investigated. The highest amount of organic carbon was found in alluvial, deep soils (228 Mg C ha −1), and the lowest was in a shallow, stony soil with a low plant cover (78 Mg C ha −1). Subsurface horizons of degraded soils under pastures were the ones with smaller and less-stable aggregates. Fresh residues of organic matter (OM) were found mostly in interaggregate spaces. Within the aggregates there were some organic remains that were beginning to decompose, and also impregnative nodules of amorphous OM. Although OM was evenly distributed among the aggregate fractions, the larger blocky peds had more specific surface, contained less decomposed OM and had a lower organic/mineral interphase than smaller crumb aggregates, which were also more stable. Soil carbon storage was affected primarily by the OM inputs in the surface horizons. In order to store organic carbon over the mid- and long-term periods, the mechanisms favouring structuration through biological activity and creating small aggregates with intrapedal stable microporosities seemed to be the most effective.

Validation of an analytical method for determining soil hydraulic properties of stony soils using experimental data

Soil unsaturated hydraulic properties are an important input for simulations of water and solute movement in the vadose zone. However, in the case of soils containing rock fragments, direct measurement of unsaturated hydraulic properties remains difficult. Recently, an analytical method was proposed (Ma et al., 2009) for determining soil hydraulic properties from horizontal water absorption experiments. Here, we test if this method could be used in the determination of the hydraulic properties of stony soils with a set of experiments. The results show that the method can predict accurately and quickly the hydraulic parameters of stony soils using the cumulative infiltration volume and the rate of wetting front advancement during water absorption into a horizontal soil column. The influence of rock fragment content on some soil hydraulic properties including air entry suction, saturated hydraulic conductivity and the shape coefficients of hydraulic functions was further evaluated. Both air entry suction and shape coefficient show a large range of variation with rock fragment content. Globally, the saturated hydraulic conductivities of stony soils decreased with increasing rock fragment content. However, when the volumetric rock fragment content is about 0.08 cm 3 cm −3, the stony soil displayed a greater saturated hydraulic conductivity compared to the fine earth at 95% confidence level. The relationship between saturated hydraulic conductivity and rock fragment content is not accurately estimated by different equations relating saturated hydraulic conductivity of stony soils to that of non-stony soils. These findings imply that other factors than the reduction of cross sectional area for water flow influence the hydraulic properties of stony soils.

Comparison of Single‐ and Double‐Ring Infiltrometer Methods on Stony Soils

Infiltration measurements to determine the field saturated hydraulic conductivity (Kfs) in arid lands are often plagued by large variations that can be attributed to soil heterogeneity, the measurement method, the number of replications, and the Kfs calculation method used. This study addressed the question of how comparable are two different measurement methods, the single‐ring infiltrometer (SR) and double‐ring infiltrometer (DR), when applied at three locations in a semiarid part of Chile that show moderate (15%) to high (55%) stoniness. Additionally, Kfs variations due to different calculation methods for the same measurement method were thoroughly investigated, considering nine methods for the SR and 10 methods for the DR. Results showed that different calculation techniques gave sometimes significantly different estimates of Kfs when using the same data set, and those relative differences were conserved between measurement locations. When comparing the same calculation technique for both SR and DR, both methods gave equivalent Kfs estimates for each location. The SR infiltration measurements were modeled better using a transient approach, while infiltration models considering steady state performed better with the DR.

Spatial distribution, habitat preference and colonization status of two alien terrestrial invertebrate species in Antarctica

AbstractThe introduction of invasive species is one of the greatest threats to Earth’s biodiversity, as they can reduce native biodiversity and alter ecosystem structure and function. Currently, the only two known non-native terrestrial invertebrates in Antarctica are the chironomid midge Eretmoptera murphyi and the enchytraeid worm Christensenidrilus blocki. These invertebrates were probably introduced to ground near Signy Research Station, South Orkney Islands, during transplantation experiments in the late 1960s. Between 2007 and 2009, this study surveyed the area around the introduction site for midge larvae and worms to assess any change over the last four decades in their spatial distribution, habitat preference and colonization status. Eretmoptera murphyi was found in concentrations up to 4.1 × 105 larvae m-2 (mean 2.1 × 104 larvae m-2) at distances of up to 220 m from the probable introduction site (c. 35 000 m2), while C. blocki was only found close to the introduction site in low numbers. Significantly more E. murphyi larvae were found in peat and dead organic material (3.34 × 104 m-2) than in stony soil and gravel (1.52 × 104 m-2) or living moss and other plant material (1.16 × 104 m-2). Eretmoptera murphyi can no longer be considered a persistent alien as it clearly expanding its distribution, while C. blocki remains a persistent alien species.

Soil pH, exchangeable aluminium and lucerne yield responses to lime in a South Island high country soil

A 2-year field experiment was conducted on a high country brown stony soil in the Lees Valley, North Canterbury. Two forms of lime ('AgLime' and 'Quicklime') were applied at 4 rates (0, 2, 4 and 8 t/ ha) and plots sown with 'Grasslands Kaituna' lucerne. Soil pH was strongly (R2=0.73) related to exchangeable aluminium (Al), with a sharp rise in plant-available Al levels below a pH of 5.8.

Numerical analysis of ponded infiltration experiment under different experimental conditions

One of the most important properties, affecting the flow regime in the soil profile, is the topsoil saturated hydraulic conductivity (&lt;I&gt;K&lt;SUB&gt;s&lt;/SUB&gt;&lt;/I&gt;). The laboratory-determined &lt;I&gt;K&lt;SUB&gt;s&lt;/SUB&gt; &lt;/I&gt;often fails to characterise properly the respective field value; the &lt;I&gt;K&lt;SUB&gt;s&lt;/SUB&gt; &lt;/I&gt;lab estimation requires labour intensive sampling and fixing procedures, difficult to follow in highly structured and stony soils. Thus, simple single- or double-ring ponded infiltration experiments are frequently performed in situ to obtain the field scale information required. In the present study, several important factors, affecting the infiltration rate during the infiltration experiments, are analysed using three-dimensional axisymmetric finite-element model S2D. The examined factors include: (1) the diameter of the infiltration ring, (2) the depth of water in the ring, (3) the depth of the ring insertion under the soil surface, (4) the size and the shape of the finite-element mesh near the ring wall, and (5) the double- vs. single-ring setup. The analysis suggests that the depth of the ring insertion significantly influences the infiltration rate. The simulated infiltration rates also exhibit high sensitivity to the shape of the finite-element mesh near the ring wall. The steady-state infiltration rate, even when considering a double-ring experiment, is significantly higher than the topsoil saturated hydraulic conductivity. The change of the water depth in the outer ring has only a small impact on the infiltration rate in the inner ring.

Soil water dynamics, growth of Dendrocalamus strictus and herbage productivity influenced by rainwater harvesting in Aravalli hills of Rajasthan

Degraded Aravalli hills in western India require rehabilitation through resource conservation and afforestation for meeting the biomass needs of resource-poor tribes of the region. Rainwater harvesting treatments i.e., control, Contour trench (CT), Gradonie (G), Box trench (BT) and V-ditch (VD) were prepared in <10%, 10–20% and >20% slopes categories and Dendrocalamus strictus L. seedlings were planted in August 2005 with a view to conserve soil and water and increase the productivity of the hills. Soil water content (SWC), survival and height of D. strictus plants were highest ( P < 0.05) in <10% slope and all these variables decreased with increase in slope. SWC increased by 27.45% and 25.68% in <10% and >20% slopes, respectively than in 10–20% slope. From lowest in control SWC increased by 11.95%, 20.21%, 17.61% and 11.49% in CT, G, BT and VD treatments, respectively. Growth variables were highest in VD plots but the increase in shoot number was highest (2.9-fold) in CT plots. Increase in effects of rainwater harvesting with time indicated by a change in production pattern from highest ( P < 0.05) fresh and dry herbage in <10% slope in 2005 to 10–20% slope (24.66% and 26.09%) in 2006 and >20% slope (42.42% and 48.35%, respectively) in 2007. The increase in herbage was 1.17–2.40-fold in fresh and 1.20–2.52-fold in dry herbage over control. Highest ( P < 0.01) production was in V-ditch plots. The treatments order for herbage production was C < CT < G < BT < VD. But the production was highest in BT in <10% and in V-ditch plots in 10–20 and >20% slopes. Conclusively, soil water status is affected by natural slope, stony soil surface and rainwater harvesting structures influencing seedling growth and herbage production. Box trench and V-ditch enhanced surface soil water facilitating herbage growth, whereas contour trench facilitated deep soil water storage, which was made available to the plants after monsoon. Thus rainwater harvesting practices enhanced vegetation cover and productivity of the degraded hills and can be replicated to conserve soil resource and increase biomass for rural poor of the region.

Measurement of soil water and nutrients by its electrical properties

An instrument for measurement of soil dielectric constant ϵ r , electrical conductivity EC a, and soil temperature was tested on soils under potato crop to investigate contents of soil volumetric water θ and nutrients for eventual use in a field crop model. To approximate the dependence of θ on ϵ r , a logarithmic equation was chosen. Satisfactory results were obtained on stone-free areas, with the mean relative variance between θ-values determined by dielectric constant and converted from a gravimetric method remaining within the limits of measuring error. However, variances were higher for stony soils, with ϵ r -values at the same θ being considerably higher. To reconcile data from stony and stone-free soils, a formula was composed. Salinity, calculated by a semi-empirical model based on Hilhorst's theory using measured values of EC a, ϵ r , and soil temperature, correlated well with contents of K and Mg in the soil. A lower correlation resulted for P, and was practically absent for Ca. Inequality of these regression equations at different measuring sites demonstrates the necessity of considering soil pH when assessing plant nutrients in the soil.

Microbial Removal Rates in Subsurface Media Estimated From Published Studies of Field Experiments and Large Intact Soil Cores

Information about the microbial removal efficiencies of subsurface media is essential for assessing the risk of water contamination, estimating setback distances between disposal fields and receiving waters, and selecting suitable sites for wastewater reclamation. By analyzing published data from field experiments and large intact soil cores, an extensive database of microbial removal rates was established for a wide range of subsurface media. High microbial removal rates were found in volcanic soils, pumice sand, fine sand, and highly weathered aquifer rocks. Low removal rates were found in structured clayey soils, stony soils, coarse gravel aquifers, fractured rocks, and karst limestones. Removal rates were lower for enteroviruses than for other human viruses; for MS2 phage than for other phage species; for waste-associated microbes than for those cultivated in the laboratory; and for contaminated media than for uncontaminated media. Microbial removal rates are inversely correlated with infiltration rates and transport velocity. The assumption of first-order law, or a constant removal rate (when the transport scale reaches a representative elementary volume), is appropriate for most of field data analyzed. However 30% of the datasets (26 out of 87 pairs) are better described with the power law, implying reduced removal rates with transport distance. The latter is most prominent for organically contaminated media, especially in relatively fine aquifer media. The presence of organic matter, heterogeneity in microbial properties, change in solution chemistry, detachment, and physical straining, may have caused the discrepancies from the first-order law traditionally used in transport models for describing microbial removal.

On the influence of coarse fragments on soil water retention

The classical determination of the soil water retention curve (SWRC) by measuring soil water content θ at different matric potentials ψ using undisturbed soil samples is time consuming and expensive. Furthermore, undisturbed soil sampling can be an intricate task when coarse soil fragments (&gt;2 mm) are present. The objective of this study was to test whether tension infiltrometry could be used to estimate the SWRC of stony soils and to investigate to what extent the coarse fragments affected the SWRC. Tension infiltrometer measurements were conducted at 44 sites with stony soils in arid Chile. Soil water retention curves obtained through inverse modeling were compared with laboratory‐determined water retention (θ, ψ) data pairs. Differences were found to be small, confirming the applicability of the inverse modeling method. Rock fragments had a significant indirect influence on water retention for matric potentials higher than −0.30 kPa, which could be attributed to their direct influence on pore size distribution.