The water retention, hydraulic conductivity, and diffusivity of soils as functions of water content and/or suction are the hydraulic properties of soils, and play an important central role in determining the movement and storage of water in soil. The general purpose of tillage is to create a soil environment favorable to the desired plant growth. Soil water relations are an important aspect of the soil environment of the plant. A review of the literature was made for data on the effects of tillage and other soil structural modifications on the hydraulic properties. The reported effects are somewhat scattered and often apparently contradictory. Tillage operations modify the bulk density (i.e., porosity) and pore size distribution of the soil. These properties are highly determining factors for the hydraulic properties. The data found in the literature are analyzed in relation to various measures of the pore space geometry such as porosity and pore size distribution.
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A. Klute (1982) studied this question.