Water Transmission Characteristics of Some Soils of Haryana and Their Significance

Various water transmission parameters, such as sorptivity, penetration coefficient, saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil water diffusivity, weighted mean diffusivity, characteristic moisture contents and mean particle diameter of 15 soils of varying texture in the state of Haryana were determined by infiltrating water in horizontal soil columns. Wetting front moisture content increased with rise in mean particle diameter. All the water transmitting parameters decreased with the fineness in soil texture. However, these parameters were not entirely a function of soil texture. Mean particle diameter calculated from the cumulative mechanical analysis data was found to be more closely related to various water transmission parameters as compared with either sand, silt or clay. Gardner and Mayhugh's approach of calculating infiltration rate as a function of time was verified by matching experimental sorptivity values with those of predicted ones. A fairly quick and accurate method to estimate weighted mean diffusivity D from the easily measurable penetration coefficient (D =2.44 λ²) is proposed.