Soil Moisture Dynamics Across Diverse Land Cover Types in Response to Rainfall: Evidence From In Situ Field Monitoring in a Revegetated Watershed

Understanding how vegetation restoration regulates rainfall–soil moisture interactions is critical for predicting hydrological responses in watershed landscapes. However, few studies have simultaneously investigated full‐profile (0–6 m) moisture dynamics, event‐scale infiltration processes and vegetation‐specific response patterns under natural rainfall conditions. We combined high‐frequency soil‐moisture monitoring to quantify vertical dynamics and event‐scale infiltration under five land covers ( Pinus tabuliformis , Platycladus orientalis , Robinia pseudoacacia , Malus domestica, and Festuca arundinacea ) in the Loess watershed of China. From May–October 2025, rainfall totalled 698.6 mm (535.2 mm in the growing season) and was dominated by summer storms. All land covers showed strong vertical gradients; the 10–30 cm layer varied most (CV 32%–61%), whereas deep layers (≥ 150 cm) were comparatively stable (CV 4%–12%), indicating a shallow response zone over a deep storage zone. Cumulative profile infiltration ranged from 304.3 mm ( Malus domestica ) to 457.4 mm ( Robinia pseudoacacia ), with infiltration efficiencies of 0.44–0.65; Festuca arundinacea (0.63) and Robinia pseudoacacia (0.65) exceeded conifer plantations by 18%–38%. Event infiltration increased linearly with rainfall depth (slope 0.52–0.76 mm/mm; R 2 = 0.68–0.88) and duration ( R 2 = 0.54–0.79) but was weakly related to maximum 10‐min intensity. Near‐surface responses lagged rainfall onset by 0–2.5 h, while peaks at ≥ 50 cm occurred 1–6 days later, with 27%–41% shorter lags under Festuca arundinacea and Robinia pseudoacacia than under conifers. These results quantify vegetation controls on the magnitude and timing of rainfall–soil moisture coupling, informing restoration designs that conserve soil water and sustain infiltration.