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 18 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 17 guard(s) constrain the result.
Contributing Benchmarks
Evidence & Context
A Lower Critical Threshold for SWIR is proposed at < 30 mm/hr, with infiltration rates < 10 mm/hr (e.g., 5 mm/hr) indicative of severely degraded soil conditions.
Soil Water Infiltration Rate (SWIR) indicating the minimum infiltration rate below which soil function is impaired.
This benchmark defines the lower critical threshold for soil water infiltration rate below which soil infiltration is insufficient for healthy function in temperate dry woodlands and native grasslands under agricultural crop production.
The Central West LLS explicitly states that when SWIR is 'slow, (less than 30mm/hr) there is an increased chance of run-off from rainfall, that can lead to soil erosion, and the loss of water that could potentially be used for plant growth'.
Sources (1)
Healthy soils and water infiltration in the paddock - Local Land Services - NSW Government
View SourceSupporting Sources (3)
Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.
Effects of crop and pasture rotations and surface cover on rainfall infiltration on a Kandosol in south-west Queensland - ResearchGate
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Farming for the future: optimising soil health for a sustainable future in Australian broadacre cropping - Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC)
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Comparing infiltration rates in soils managed with conventional and alternative farming methods: A meta-analysis
View Source