Soil Water Infiltration Rate

AUS-AMR-AGR-SWI General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

20 mm/hr

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: Point

Scoring Curve

Scoring curve unavailable

The scoring engine could not generate a curve for this benchmark context. The primary form is Point, but the benchmark data may be missing required fields (e.g., optimal range bounds for an OptimalRange benchmark). This is typically a data quality issue in the benchmark pipeline.

Evidence & Context

Based on the measured average steady-state flow rate (20.2 mm/hr) at the managed (ponded) Mt Riddock site, which has a Sandy Clay Loam soil.

Metric Definition:

Soil water infiltration rate measured as steady-state infiltration in mm/hr.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents the rate at which water infiltrates into sandy clay loam soils under best-practice regenerative cropping in the Australian Arid Mountain Ranges & Uplands biome.

Justification:

This value is anchored to real-world data from the Mt Riddock site, representing a conservative, field-verified proxy for hydrological function achievable through management in the target biome.

Sources (2)

Comparing infiltration rates in soils managed with conventional and alternative farming methods: A meta-analysis Journal

Comparing infiltration rates in soils managed with conventional and alternative farming methods: A meta-analysis

View Source

Comparing infiltration rates in soils managed with conventional and alternative farming methods: A meta-analysis, accessed July 6, 2025, Journal

Chapter 7 Nutrient Leaching - SIPS Soil & Crop Sciences Section

View Source

Supporting Sources (2)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Report on the Condition of Agricultural Land in South Australia - Department for Environment and Water

Direct Evidence Journal

Rainfall infiltration and runoff from an Alfisol in semi-arid tropical India. I. No-till systems1

View Source

Water ponding for pastoral production in central Australia

Direct Evidence Journal

Infiltration.pdf - Natural Resources Conservation Service

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Arid Mountain Ranges & Uplands
Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 4 Jun 2026

Notes

Lower Critical Threshold: 10 mm/hr. The optimal functional range for loams/sandy clay loams is 20-40 mm/hr. Rates above 40 mm/hr may pose moderate risk of nutrient leaching if fertiliser management is not optimal. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-AMR-AGR-SWI family.