Spatial and Temporal Changes in Infiltration and Aggregate Stability: A Case Study of a Subhumid Irrigated Cropland

Abstract

Climate change is increasing the occurrence of extreme precipitation events and causing irregular precipitation patterns. This occurs in parallel with the degradation of crop fields, and triggers the occurrence of pluvial floods and droughts on the same field. Consequently, irrigation must be adapted to the changing soil properties. Detailed spatial and temporal measurements of changes in infiltration are required. This study aimed to quantify changes in infiltration for a subhumid irrigated cropland with various soil types (Phaeozem, Solonetz, Chernozem) and field conditions (seedbed and stubble) by simulating rainfall. As the soil structure determines hydrology, the aggregate stability/surface roughness was tested as a proxy of infiltration through photogrammetry. The soil losses caused by precipitation did not exhibit connections to changes in the surface roughness, and lower aggregate stability did not necessarily cause lower infiltration intensities, suggesting that sedimentation could only partly seal drainage pores. The final infiltration intensities varied within a wide range (0.2–28.4 mm h−1). Seedbed preparation did not increase the volume of micropores (<10 µm), which resulted in higher infiltration under stubble. Photogrammetry was found to be a potentially useful tool for measuring aggregate stability, however, further investigations on in situ soil surfaces are required for technical improvement.

Relationship between compaction and infiltration capacity of amended soil for urban flood damage mitigation

“…However, the infiltration capacity of the disturbed soil becomes significantly lower than that of the soil after a certain number of years (Jorgensen & Gardner, 1987). Furthermore, Jakab et al (2019) surveyed the infiltration capacity and stability of an aggregate structure of soils to rainfall and reported that sedimentation to a void structure occurs only partially and does not directly lead to a decrease in the infiltration capacity. In addition to changes in the void structure, attention should be paid to changes in the infiltration capacity because of corrosion and changes in the humus and bamboo chips.…”

Spatial Distribution and Relationship between Slope Micro-Topography Changes and Soil Aggregate Stability under Rainfall Conditions

“…When soil erosion occurs, erosion and deposition areas will be formed on the soil surface, which will change the slope micro-topography (topographic attributes) and soil properties, that is, the stability of soil aggregates [17,18]. Moreover, Jakab G. et al [19] deemed that the change of aggregate decomposition caused by rainfall can be quantified by repeatedly comparing the digital elevation model (DEM) of the same bare soil surface in theory. However, due to the lack of measurement technology that can be used by previous scholars to obtain accurate information on micro-topographic factors, the research mainly focuses on the evaluation of soil aggregates and their stability in selected topographic positions, but the research on the relationship between slope micro-topography changes and soil aggregates and their stability under water erosion conditions is rarely heard.…”

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

“…Infiltration is one of the main processes controlling water flow from surface to groundwater and is a complex dynamic process dependent on many factors (Jakab et al, 2019). Knowledge about the infiltration process, which has a fundamental role in agriculture and water research, is essential to be able to evaluate research results well (Pedretti et al, 2012).…”