DISCUSSION

The infiltration rate is the velocity or speed at which water enters into the
soil. Infiltration is caused by two forces which are gravity and capillary action. While
smaller pores offer greater resistance to gravity, very small pores pull water through
capillary action in addition to and even against the force of gravity.
The process of infiltration can continue only if there is room available for
additional water at the soil surface. The available volume for additional water in the
soil depends on the porosity of the soil and the rate at which previously infiltrated
water can move away from the surface through the soil.
For dry soil, the infiltration rate is the highest compared to wet soil and
saturated soil. This is because when the soil is dry the pores are mainly filled with air
and it can be said as dry soil has high porosity. These pores allow water to fill in and
hence the infiltration rate of dry soils will be higher. The infiltration rate of wet soil is
slower than dry soil due to the moisture content inside the soil is high. Thus the pores
between the soil particles will be decreased and causing the infiltration rate to be low.
Saturated soil can be said as soil with all the soil pores are filled with water and there
is no air left in the saturated soil. Thus, the infiltration rate for saturated soil is the
lowest compared to dry soil and wet soil since there is no air voids between the soil
particles.
There are many factors that will affect the infiltration rate of soil, which are
soil surface conditions, soil texture, soil structure, soil moisture and porosity.
Soil surface conditions can be predominant factors affecting whether or not
infiltration will even occur, and these include surface sealing, the prevalence of cracks
and open pores, or the development of crusts and an impermeable layer. For soil
texture, as soil particle size decreases, there is less distance between soil particles.
Hence, as the inter-particle distance gets less, water infiltrates slower. For soil
structure, well aggregated soil promotes high infiltration rates as there are more 'gaps'
for water to flow through. Excess cultivation can be detrimental to soil structure. The
surface crusts that can sometimes result from high cultivation levels may cause
sealing of the soil surface, restricting water entry. For soil moisture content, if the soil
already has high soil moisture content, infiltration will be low, as most of the soil
pores will already be filled. For porosity, soils that are well structured are likely to
have greater numbers of pores than poorly structured soils. Hence, soils with high
porosity are likely to have a greater hydraulic conductivity and infiltration rate.

http://www.agriinfo.in/default.aspx?page=topic&superid=7&topicid=5
http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/farm-management/soil-and-water/soils/waterinfiltration-and-drainage-of-soils
https://nrcca.cals.cornell.edu/soil/CA2/CA0211.1.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infiltration_(hydrology)
ANALYSIS
The initial infiltration rate is the rate prevailing at the beginning of the storm and is
maximum. As more water replaces the air in the pores, the water from the soil surface
infiltrates more slowly and eventually reaches a steady rate. This is called the
basic infiltration rate.