Soil hydraulic properties in different soil texture classes

Abstract

Soil texture influences significantly soil hydraulic properties, which due to soil heterogeneity normally present large spatial variability. The variability of soil retention θ(h), and hydraulic conductivity K(h) curves, in 11 of the 12 texture classes of the diagram of Gomes e Silva (1962) was studied. For each textural class, average, maximum, minimum, and the standard deviation values for the Mualem van Genuchten parameters are presented based on 558 θ(h) and 245 K(h) curves determined in undisturbed soil samples which are included in the PROPSOLO database of Estação Agronómica Nacional. An average function describing θ(h) and K(h) in each textural class is also presented.