Evaluation of Soil Hydraulic Parameters in Soils and Land Use Change

The knowledge of soil water properties and land-use effects on these properties are important for efficient soil and water management. Furthermore, the use of the pedotransfer functions (PTFs) to estimate soil water content (θh) is important to assess. The loosening effect of dryland farming on soil water retention is known. In this chapter we review soil water content, pedotransfer functions and some infiltration models applicability for two land-use types. The land-use effect on soil water retention may be significant at water potentials of -33 kPa and 0 kPa in the soil. At the -1500 kPa pressure head, water content may not be affected by cultivation of rangeland at different soil depths. In addition, pedotransfer functions can be used as a physically based model for soil water retention characterization in the various areas. Moreover, it is essential to evaluate the infiltration models applicability for different soils and various land-uses.