ABSTRACT:
Low infiltration rates in frozen soil are a major contributor to water runoff, soil erosion, and sedimentation in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. A rainfall simulator used as a sprinkler infiltrometer was employed to determine the infiltration characteristics for three tillage treatments: standing stubble, chiseled stubble, and newly seeded winter wheat after summer fallow. Infiltration measurements were conducted in the fall of 1984 directly after tillage, in the winter when the soil was frozen, and in the spring when the soil thawed. Infiltration in frozen soil was determined after frost had penetrated to a predetermined depth in each treatment. Final infiltration rates in unfrozen soil were greatest for the chiseled stubble and least for the winter wheat treatments. Frozen soil greatly reduced infiltration for the chiseledand standing-stubble treatments when compared to the rates measured in the fall and spring. No infiltration was observed on winter wheat while the soil was frozen.
Footnotes
John F. Zuzel is an hydrologist and J. L. Pikul, Jr. is a soil scientist at the Columbia Plateau Conservation Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Pendleton, Oregon 97801. This study was funded by the ARS, USDA and the Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center. Oregon State University Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Paper No. 8143. The authors thank Rich Greenwell for his invaluable suggestions on the design and execution of this experiment and the Washington state office of the Soil Conservation Service for providing the rainfall simulator.
- Copyright 1987 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.