Rainfall infiltration into bare soils

Raindrop impact destroys the surface aggregates of soils and gradually forms a continuous crust. Infiltration rates of bare soils are determined by this process. A theoretical model presented previously was tested under field conditions with a sandy loam soil. The effect of the crust's structure was tested under three rainfall intensities and in wetting and drying cycles. The results of the tests confirmed the theoretical model. According to the model potential infiltration rates, in bare soils, can be predicted by the equation I t = ( I i ‐ I f ) · e −γ pt l + I f . The study demonstrated quantitatively that the major factor determining the reduction of infiltration rates is crust formation and not moisture regime.