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Water infiltration is a basic parameter to understand the hydrological response of semi-arid or arid soilswhere runoff generation is dominated by infiltration-excesssubjected to wildfire. To evaluate the hydrological effects of straw application on a sandy loam soil after wildfire, the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, water content and temperature of mulched and nonmulched (considered as control) soils were monitored throughout eight months. Compared to untreated soils, straw maintained higher temperatures and water contents in mulched plots, but reduced their unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, particularly in the drier season. These results suggest that straw release may lead to a decrease of water infiltration capacity of soils subjected to wildfire, with particular evidence in summer in the case of heavy storm occurrence.

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