Changes in water infiltration capacities following the application of a wetting agent on a ponderosa pine forest floor

Abstract

An infiltration-wetting agent study, using the wetting agent "WATER-IN", was conducted in the ponderosa pine forest type of east central Arizona, near McNary, Arizona. An application rate of 10 gallons of wetting agent per surface acre was used both on bare mineral soil and on ponderosa pine litter. The infiltration rate was measured by a modified North Fork infiltrometer. It was found that "WATER-IN" significantly increased water runoff, when applied to litter, but when applied to bare mineral soil, "WATER-IN" caused a significant increase in water infiltration. The wetting agent did not significantly affect antecedent moisture, soil particle distribution, litter water holding capacity, or litter bulk density. It is presently hypothesized that the increase in water infiltration on treated bare mineral soil is due to a decrease in the average bulk density of the surface inch of soil. The data strongly suggests this hypothesis to be correct. The increase in runoff when litter is treated is probably due to an interaction, either physical, chemical, or both, between the humus layer and "WATER-IN", creating a hydrophobic condition where one did not exist before.