Soil infiltration properties with slight saline water intermittent application

Reasonable development and utilization of slight saline water is an important approach of relieving the agricultural freshwater resource shortage. Soil infiltration properties were studied through laboratory simulation experiments of one-dimensional vertical intermittent infiltration under different periods and circulating rates, when salt concentrations of the slight saline water were 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 g/L. Philip’s infiltration formula was used to analyze the relationship between the sorptivity and the salt concnentration of slight saline water. The results showed that the intermittent infiltration properties of slight saline water were the same as the properties of freshwater, but the slight saline water intermittent infiltration could increase the wetted depth. The cumulative infiltration and wetted depth changed with the different salt concentrations of slight saline water. The sorptivity increased with the increasing salinity of the slight saline water, and the sorptivity was the maximum at the first period of intermittent infiltration and decrease at the following periods, but the decreasing range was not significant and tended to a stable value.