Soil Water Infiltration Rate
Benchmark Value
Scoring Curve
This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context. The scoring engine uses 7 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 6 guard(s) constrain the result.
Evidence & Context
While specific values will vary with soil type, a reasonable expectation for steady-state SWIR under best-practice management on moderately textured soils (loams, clay loams) in this biome would likely be in the range of 25 - 75 mm/hr.
Soil Water Infiltration Rate (SWIR) quantifies the rate at which water enters the soil profile at the surface.
This benchmark represents the expected steady-state soil water infiltration rate under best-practice grazing management on moderately textured soils in the Temperate Dry Woodlands & Native Grasslands biome of Australia. It indicates the rate at which water enters the soil surface, reflecting healthy soil hydrological function.
The benchmark is grounded in well-established principles of soil physics and hydrology and supported by multiple studies demonstrating the positive impact of best-practice grazing on factors controlling infiltration. Evidence also clearly indicates critical low thresholds associated with degradation. However, confidence is moderated by the lack of direct, replicated field measurements of SWIR specifically from sites confirmed as representing the 'best available condition' under regenerative grazing across the diverse Australian Temperate Dry Woodlands & Native Grasslands biome. The proposed range is therefore derived through synthesis and interpretation of related data and principles, acknowledging inherent site-specific variability.
Sources (2)
Adaptive multi-paddock grazing improves water infiltration in Canadian grassland soils | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed May 12, 2025
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Supporting Sources (6)
Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.
(PDF) Final report Scoping Study of Soil Management in Livestock ..., accessed May 12, 2025
View SourceSoil compaction controls the abundance, biomass and distribution of earthworms in a single dairy farm in south-eastern Australia - ResearchGate, accessed May 12, 2025
View SourceLudwig, J.A., Bastin, G.N., Chewings, V.H., Eager, R.W., and Liedloff, A.C. (2005). Clearing savannas for use as rangelands in Queensland: Altered landscapes and water-erosion processes. Rangeland Journal, 27(2), 135-149.
View SourceRemoving Grazing Pressure from a Native Pasture Decreases Soil Organic Carbon in Southern New South Wales, Australia - ResearchGate
View SourceSignificance of terms used to predict the effect of rainfall and herbage mass on runoff, accessed May 12, 2025
View SourceDynamics of Sudanian Savanna-Woodland Ecosystem in Response to Disturbances - - Administrative page for SLU library, accessed May 12, 2025
View Source