A Study of Upland Productivity in Taiwan Farmlands Ⅰ. Profile Modification to Increase Infiltration Rate

Abstract

In Taiwan, the formation of plow pans, compacted soil layer, as well as stratified soil can affect the water flow in soil profiles and consequently decrease water infiltration rate. To improve water infiltration rate in soil profiles, which with fine-textured soil layer on top and coarse-textured soil layer on the bottom, this study proposed to chisel soils to 150 cm. As a consequence, the penetration resistance and water infiltration rate were <30 kg/cm^2 and >10 mm/hr, respectively. The cumulative infiltration was 30 mm in 2 hrs. The soil penetration resistance were less than 20 kg/cm^2 and the water infiltration rate increased to 15 mm/hr after chiseling where the graveled profile with a soil depth less than 40 cm. The cumulative infiltration can reach 30 mm within 2 hrs. Thus, the results of this study demonstrated a positive effect of chiseling soil to deep layers on water infiltration rate of a soil profile.