Rainfall Intensity and Soil Physical Properties Influence on Infiltration and Runoff Under In‐field Rainwater Harvesting Conditions

Abstract

The objective of this study was to quantify the combined influence of rainfall intensity and soil physical properties on infiltration and runoff under in‐field rainwater harvesting (IRWH). Rainfall intensities and soil physical properties were mathematically related to time to runoff, time to final infiltration rate and final infiltration rate. The influence of rainfall intensity and soil physical factors on rainwater harvesting under IRWH was demonstrated. A commercial field, divided into 75 plots and under IRWH located near Bloemfontein, South Africa, was used. Nine plots were selected to obtain the widest range of clay plus silt content possible. Three rainfall intensity treatments were applied using a mobile rainfall simulator. Before the start of the simulations soil samples were taken to determine the soil's physical properties. A multiple regression analysis showed that the infiltration and runoff process depended primarily on rainfall intensity and soil physical conditions. The in‐field runoff analysis showed that for every 1 mm of rain that infiltrated in the runoff strip, between 2.18 and 6.48 mm would infiltrate in the basin strips. Thus, the soil types tested had a huge potential for water harvesting practices. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Rainwater harvesting and conservation tillage increase maize yields in South Africa

“…Mzezewa and van Rensburg (2011) and Tesfuhuney et al (2013) addressed the rainfall intensity and runoff-rainfall relationship. Bothma et al (2012) documented the role of soil physical properties on the rainfall-runoff relationship. Zerizghy (2012) investigated the evaporation on the runoff area during a fallow period.…”

Evaluation of Mathematical Models in Nitrogen Transfer to Overland Flow Subjected to Simulated Rainfall

“…Several studies have shown that time to runoff decreased significantly with increasing rainfall intensity [28,29]. In our study, the time to runoff is listed in Table 2 at about 2 min, 1 min and 0.5 min under RI of 0.4 mm min -1 , 1.0 mm min -1 and 1.8 mm min -1 , respectively, which is consistent with the results of Bothma et al [28]. Furthermore, the negative relationship between the slope gradient and t p indicated that steep slope intensified the decrease rate as shown in Fig.…”

Characterizing infiltration and internal drainage of South African dryland soils

“…From the soil type the main factors are soil textural and structural pore size distribution (Leonard and Andrieux, ), soil depth (Ffolliott et al ., ), antecedent soil water content (Mayor et al ., ), and presence of impervious horizon(s) in the soil profile (Zhang et al ., ). Ground surface related factors are presence of crust (Bothma et al ., ; Zhao et al ., ), type and density of vegetal cover (Mayor et al ., ; Zhao et al ., ) and slope gradient (Zhang et al ., ). Other ground factors include soil surface structure, organic carbon content, roughness, stoniness, and presence and distribution of cracks, bio‐channels and fissures (Mayor et al ., ).…”

“…Other ground factors include soil surface structure, organic carbon content, roughness, stoniness, and presence and distribution of cracks, bio‐channels and fissures (Mayor et al ., ). From the rainstorm aspect the main factors are rainstorm intensity (Bothma et al ., ; Zhao et al ., ), amount (Martinez‐ Mena et al , ) and duration (Zhang et al ., ). Other authors have cited evaporation to be a key factor influencing infiltration especially in drylands even though most of the research has been carried out in temperate climates (Leornard and Andrieux, ; Castillo et al ., ; Zhang et al ., ).…”