不同斥水剂作用下土壤斥水度测定及其变化规律

为获得不同斥水剂作用下土壤斥水度的变化规律,分别采用十二烷基硫酸钠、硅烷偶联剂KH-550与二氯二甲基硅烷改性砂土和十八烷基伯胺改性黏土,获得了不同斥水程度的改性土壤,并采用滴水穿透时间法、酒精溶液入渗法和接触角测定法获得了改性后土壤的斥水度及其随时间变化规律。结果表明:1)二氯二甲基硅烷改性砂土表现为极度斥水等级,且斥水性长期稳定,可作为制备斥水砂土的优选;硅烷偶联剂改性砂土的斥水性初期不明显,随着时间增长明显增强,最终可达极度斥水等级;但此类改性砂土易结块,均匀性及分散性较差,不推荐作为制备斥水砂土的优选;十二烷基硫酸钠改性砂土的斥水性不明显,且改性方法复杂耗时,不宜用来制备斥水砂土。2)当十八胺含量分别为0.2%、0.3%和0.6%时,改性黏土分别可达中等、严重和极度斥水等级,斥水性长期稳定,可作为制备斥水黏土的优选。3)将十八胺含量为0.5%的改性黏土掺入天然砂土混合制得的改性混合土,亦有不同程度的斥水性。当改性黏土含量为1%~3%时,改性混合土尚无明显斥水性;当改性黏土含量为3%~10%时,改性混合土斥水等级为中度;当改性黏土含量为10%~50%时,改性混合土斥水等级可达到严重。该成果可为深入研究土壤斥水性及其工程应用提供参考。     

十八胺化学改性下壤土的斥水性与入渗性能研究

以壤土为研究对象,将十八胺基伯胺作为斥水剂掺入天然风干重塑壤土中,配置了不同十八烷基伯胺含量和初始含水率的改性试样,采用滴水穿透时间法测定了改性壤土的斥水等级,提出并获得了改性壤土的临界含水率,分析了十八烷基伯胺含量、壤土斥水等级、初始含水率的关系。在此基础上,采用全自动三轴渗透仪,开展了改性壤土在不同水头差作用下的渗透试验,揭示了不同斥水等级壤土的入渗性能,获得了改性壤土的稳定入渗率。结果表明:十八烷基伯胺含量和土壤含水率是影响土壤斥水性的重要因素。十八烷基伯胺含量越高,土壤斥水等级越大,上限含水率越低,而下限含水率越高。土壤斥水等级相同时,初始入渗速率受水头差影响较小,如十八胺基伯胺质量分数为0.6%的土壤,20和60k Pa水头差条件下其初始入渗速率分别为0.210和0.238cm/s;入渗持续一段时间后,入渗速率突然降低,降至0.005 cm/s,进入稳定入渗阶段。土壤斥水性越强,稳定入渗速率和稳定入渗率均呈下降趋势,壤土防渗效果越好。起始出渗时间随水头差的增大而减小,随土壤斥水性的增大而增大。上述研究成果可为斥水性土壤应用于土木水利工程领域提供试验基础。     

微咸水灌溉对斥水土壤水盐运移的影响

土壤斥水性影响着作物的产量,为了研究微咸水灌溉对斥水土壤水盐运移的影响,进行了室内土柱微咸水入渗试验。对比了不同矿化度和斥水程度对两种土质水盐运移的影响,探讨了微咸水入渗后土壤斥水性的变化特征。结果表明,不斥水土壤的入渗能力随矿化度的增加而增加。亲水和斥水土壤的入渗率均可采用Kostiakov公式简单模拟。斥水土壤入渗能力在矿化度为1?g/L时达到最大,超过1?g/L后则随矿化度的增大而减小。微咸水入渗的累积入渗量与湿润锋推进距离呈良好的线性关系,斥水性土壤中的相同剖面水盐的含量比不斥水的减小。微咸水入渗后土壤产生了一定的斥水性。该研究表明微咸水灌溉对盐渍化土壤的水盐分布和斥水性均有一定程度的影响。     

四种入渗模型对斥水土壤入渗规律的适用性

土壤斥水性影响入渗,进而影响作物产量。国外学者进行了一定的研究,但在中国研究的还很少。该文基于实测资料探讨几种常规的入渗模型在斥水土壤中的适用性。采用室内土柱进行积水入渗试验,对比了不同积水高度和斥水度条件下的土壤入渗规律,并采用4种模型分析了土壤入渗率变化特征。结果表明,累积入渗量随入渗历时的变化可用幂函数描述,不斥水土壤累积入渗量明显大于斥水土壤;累积入渗量与湿润锋推进距离呈良好的线性关系;利用Green-Ampt模型、Philip模型、Kostiakov公式和指数公式对入渗率与入渗历时间的关系进行拟合,其中Kostiakov公式更接近于实测值,其他模型拟合效果因斥水程度等因素的不同而异。     

砾石覆盖厚度对斥水土壤入渗特性的影响及模型优选

基于室内一维垂直入渗土柱试验,研究砾石覆盖厚度(0,3,6,9,12 cm)对斥水土壤积水入渗及水分再分布的影响,并利用不同入渗模型进行拟合。结果表明:砾石覆盖显著增加斥水土壤湿润锋运移距离(p<0.05);同一时段内,各处理累积入渗量皆高于对照组(p<0.05),斥水性红壤累积入渗量与砾石覆盖厚度呈正相关关系;斥水性红壤初渗率与稳渗率随砾石覆盖厚度变化均可用指数函数来描述,决定系数分别为0.91和0.87,砾石覆盖使得斥水性潮土初渗率与稳渗率增大,其中稳渗率与砾石覆盖厚度呈二次函数关系,决定系数为0.78,覆盖6 cm时稳渗率达到最大;砾石覆盖明显提高斥水土壤剖面平均含水率,斥水性红壤和潮土最大分别增长180.8%和57.6%;隔绝蒸发条件下,再分布过程斥水土壤湿润体含水率表现为停渗时刻>再分布1天>再分布3天>再分布7天;Horton模型对砾石覆盖斥水土壤入渗过程的拟合效果最好,是分析和预测砾石覆盖斥水土壤水分入渗特征的适宜模型。     

陕西省长武县黑垆土斥水性的影响因素

[目的] 分析改性黑垆土出现斥水性的条件及其影响因素,为研究气候暖干化背景下当地降雨入渗行为对斥水性的响应问题提供参考。[方法] 试验在黄土旱塬陕西省长武县农田试验场进行。选取玉米地和苜蓿地0—20 cm土壤作为试验对象,对2种作物下的土样设计4水平土壤含水量、3种容重和3水平十八烷基伯胺（OCT）添加量进行组合配制土样,用滴水穿透时间法进行斥水性测试。[结果] 土壤斥水性（SWR）随着土壤含水量（0%～6%范围）和容重的增加及OCT添加量的增加而增大,其中土壤含水量、OCT添加量和土壤容重对SWR的影响存在多因素交互效应。在逐步回归分析中,OCT和含水量共同参与下的拟合模型更优。1.3 g/cm³土壤容重下,在0%含水量和0.15% OCT添加量及2%含水量和0.10% OCT添加量条件时,非斥水的黑垆土土壤会转变为轻微斥水性土壤。[结论] 在黑垆土低水条件下的降水入渗过程中,应更多关注不同土地利用土壤含水量和极性物质的积累变化对斥水风险的影响。     

沂蒙山区桃园棕壤斥水性对理化性质的空间响应

以沂蒙山区典型土地利用桃园棕壤为例,在分析降雨前后桃园棕壤斥水性与理化性质空间变异的基础上,探讨了棕壤斥水性对土壤含水量、有机质含量和土壤质地的空间响应特征。按照1 m×1 m网格等间距测定降雨前后土壤实际斥水性与含水量,同时采集表层0~3 cm土壤样品,分析其有机质含量与砂粒、粉粒、黏粒含量,并借助经典统计学、地统计学与空间自相关理论对土壤斥水性及理化性质进行空间格局与空间相关性分析。结果表明:沂蒙山区桃园棕壤的斥水程度强烈,雨后斥水性显著降低;降雨前后棕壤斥水性均具有中等变异水平和较强的空间自相关性,且呈指数模型分布,各向异性显著。受结构变异和随机变异作用,斥水性空间格局沿耕作方向呈条带状分布,在其垂直方向上最小变程为1.4 m。土壤质地是影响棕壤斥水性空间变异的主要因素,斥水性与粉粒含量呈空间正相关,与砂粒和黏粒含量呈空间负相关,相关程度粉粒砂粒黏粒;棕壤斥水性与含水量呈空间负相关,相关度雨前较弱,雨后显著。     

土壤斥水性影响因素及管理措施研究综述

土壤斥水性是影响土壤水文过程的一个重要因素。简述了土壤斥水性的基本概念，归纳了土壤水分、土壤有机质、土壤质地、土壤pH值、土地利用方式等对土壤斥水性的影响，总结了国内外改良土壤斥水性的措施，提出未来的研究重点是微生物和植物根系的分泌物、外源添加物等因素对斥水性的影响过程及机理，斥水性对农业生产的影响，斥水性的时空异质性，斥水性土壤在我国的分布及斥水性程度等。     

圆盘入渗仪法测定不同利用方式土壤渗透性试验研究

介绍了一种田间定量测定土壤渗透性的新方法——圆盘入渗仪法。应用该法和双环法对黄土丘陵区土壤不同利用方式(果园、农地、灌木、草地、林地)下的土壤渗透性进行了对比研究，并对比分析了该方法的优缺点。结果表明：在该试验条件下，不同利用方式下土壤的孔性及渗透性有明显差别。土壤有效孔径以灌木地最大，为农地的5.7倍，果园的3.5倍；其次为林地和草地，为农地的4倍多，果园的2.5倍多。果园的最初入渗率最大，是林地的3倍，草地的5倍。稳定入渗率大小顺序为：果园>农地>灌木>草地>林地。灌木地的导水率是农地的1.5倍，是林地的3倍多；草地和果园的土壤导水率是农地的1.2倍，是林地的2.8倍。两种方法测定的入渗率结果具有显著的线性相关性。说明圆盘入渗仪法适合于黄土丘陵区各种利用类型土壤的入渗测定。     

土壤斥水性的产生原因及改良方法浅析

通过对土壤斥水性的产生机理进行剖析,分析比较了现有土壤斥水性改良方法的优缺点,结果表明:减少土壤斥水性有机物的来源和加速土壤中斥水性有机物的分解是土壤斥水性改良的根本途径;土壤斥水性改良方法的选择除考虑其实际改良效果外,还应兼顾土壤质地、土壤结构、土壤肥力与环境效应方面的影响;"治标"与"治本"目标相结合,化学、物理与生物方法相结合是土壤斥水性改良剂研发的新方向。     

The use of visible and near‐infrared spectroscopy for the analysis of soil water repellency

This study investigated the potential of visible/near‐infrared reflectance spectroscopy (Vis‐NIRS) to predict soil water repellency (SWR). The top 40 mm of soils (n = 288) across 48 sites under pastoral land‐use in the North Island of New Zealand, which represented 10 soil orders and covered five classes of drought proneness, were analysed by standard laboratory methods and Vis‐NIRS. Soil WR was measured by using the molarity of ethanol droplet (MED) and the water drop penetration time (WDPT) tests. Soil organic carbon content (%C) was also measured to examine a possible relationship with SWR. A partial least squares regression (PLSR) model was developed by using Vis‐NIRS spectral data and the reference laboratory data. In addition, we explored the power of discrimination based on WDPT classes using partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS‐DA). The PLSR of the processed spectra produced moderately accurate prediction for MED (R²_val = 0.61, RPD_val = 1.60, RMSE_val = 0.59) and good prediction for %C (R²_val = 0.82, RPD_val = 2.30, RMSE_val = 2.72). When the data from the 10 soil orders were considered separately and based on soil order rather than being grouped, the prediction of MED was further improved except for the Allophanic, Brown, Organic and Ultic soil orders. The PLS‐DA was successful in classifying 60% of soil samples into the correct WDPT classes. Our results indicate clearly that Vis‐NIRS has the potential to predict SWR. Further improvement in the prediction accuracy of SWR is envisaged by increasing the understanding of the relationship between Vis‐NIRS and the SWR of all New Zealand soil orders as a function of their physical properties and chemical constituents such as hydrophobic compounds.     

The effect of addition of a wettable biochar on soil water repellency

The potential of biochar to ameliorate soil water repellency has not been widely studied. Previous studies have focused on the potential for biochar to induce or exacerbate existing water repellency rather than alleviate it. This study investigates the effect of adding wettable biochar to water‐repellent soil by comparing the water drop penetration times (WDPTs) of a control and biochar‐amended soil. The potential of wettable biochar to act as a physical amendment to water‐repellent soil was evaluated by mixing coarsely‐ground biochar (CGB, particle size range 250–2000 µm) or finely‐ground biochar (FGB, particle size range < 250 µm) with one strongly and one severely naturally water‐repellent soil in various quantities, and then measuring the WDPT for each mixture. When biochar particles did not fall within the size range of existing soil particles, an initial increase in both mean WDPT (WDPT_M) and variation in WDPT was observed with small additions of biochar. These effects possibly result from increased surface roughness and inhibition of infiltration by the suspension of drops above the average soil–air interface at a few hydrophobic points. Both CGB and FGB reduced soil water repellency, FGB more effectively than CGB. The addition of 10% w/w FGB reduced soil WDPT by 50%, and 25% FGB eliminated repellency. Direct absorption of water by biochar and an increase in soil surface area in contact with water are the predominant physical mechanisms involved. This exploratory study suggests biochar has the potential to amend water‐repellent soil.     

Use of Clay Dispersed in Water for Decreasing Soil Water Repellency

In this study, we examined the efficiency of a kaolinite clayey soil to mitigate water repellency of a sandy soil with olive trees. The treatment was applied to the soil zone below the tree canopy, which displayed the highest degree of water repellency [average water drop penetration time (WDPT) value = 820 s]. Both dry (incorporated onto the top soil) and wet clay applications (after dispersion in irrigation water) were examined in a replicated experiment, with control trees being used for comparison. The application rate of the clayey soil was maintained in both cases (wet and dry mode) equal to 1 kg m⁻², while the effect of subsequent wetting and drying cycles on the treatment performance was evaluated. The results of the study verify that clay application was effective to mitigate soil water repellency. Dry supplementation displayed low efficiency (26% reduction of the air‐dry WDPT compared with the control soil) within the first week of application. The efficiency of the dry‐clay treatment increased to 76% after applying three subsequent wetting and drying cycles. In comparison with the dry mode, the wet clay was efficient immediately after application (74% reduction of the WDPT), indicating that the limiting step in the overall process was clay dispersion. Based on the findings of this study, it was proposed that wet clay application is of interest for controlling soil water repellency in agricultural land. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Time dependence of contact angle and its relation to repellency persistence in hydrophobized sand

Soil water repellency is a transient soil property varying with soil–water contact time. The purpose of the present study was to determine the time dependence of the sessile drop contact angle and its relation to repellency persistence estimated using the water drop penetration time (WDPT) test with hydrophobized sand. The contact angle decreased exponentially and almost reached apparent equilibrium after 20 min of soil–water contact time. Time dependence of the contact angle can mainly be attributed to the adsorption of water molecules onto low-energy hydrophobic organic matter surfaces. Contact angles initially greater than 90° decreased to less than 90° within about 40 s. However, the WDPT of these samples was longer than 3600 s. The WDPT responded to the initial contact angle, but not to the contact angle decreased with soil–water contact time. This was considered to be caused by differences in the surface free energy between the surface and the lower layers. Repellency persistence, or the WDPT, can be considered to be the time taken to increase the surface free energy to overcome water repellency, not only on the surface in contact with the droplet, but also in the adjacent layers below the surface.     

Occurrence, prediction and hydrological effects of water repellency amongst major soil and land-use types in a humid temperate climate

Knowledge of soil water repellency distribution, of factors affecting its occurrence and of its hydrological effects stems primarily from regions with a distinct dry season, whereas comparatively little is known about its occurrence in humid temperate regions such as typified by the UK. To address this research gap, we have examined: (i) water repellency persistence (determined by the water drop penetration time method, WDPT) and degree (determined by the critical surface tension method, CST) for soil samples (0–5, 10–15 and 20–25 cm depth) taken from 41 common soil and land‐use types in the humid temperate climate of the UK; (ii) the supposed relationship of soil moisture, textural composition and organic matter content with sample repellency; and (iii) the bulk wetting behaviour of undisturbed surface core samples (0–5 cm depth) over a period of up to 1 week. Repellency was found in surface samples of all major soil textural types amongst most permanently vegetated sites, whereas tilled sites were virtually unaffected. Repellency levels reached those of the most severely affected areas elsewhere in the world, decreased in persistence and degree with depth and showed no consistent relationship with soil textural characteristics, organic matter or soil moisture contents, except that above a water content of c. 28% by volume, repellency was absent. Wetting rate assessments of 100 cm³ intact soil cores using continuous water contact (–20 mm pressure head) over a period of up to 7 days showed that across the whole sample range and irrespective of texture, severe to extreme repellency persistence consistently reduced the maximum water content at any given time to well below that of wettable soils. For slightly to moderately repellent soils the results were more variable and thus hydrological effects of such repellency levels are more difficult to predict. The results imply that: (i) repellency is common for many land‐use types with permanent vegetation cover in humid temperate climates irrespective of soil texture; (ii) supposedly influential parameters (texture, organic matter, specific water content) are poor general predictors of water repellency, whereas land use and the moisture content below which repellency can occur seem more reliable; and (iii) infiltration and water storage capacity of very repellent soils are considerably less than for comparable wettable soils.     

Droplet infiltration and organic matter composition of intact crack and biopore surfaces from clay‐illuvial horizons

The organic matter (OM) in biopore walls and aggregate coatings may be important for sorption of reactive solutes and water as well as for solute mass exchange between the soil matrix and the preferential flow (PF) domains in structured soil. Structural surfaces are coated by illuvial clay‐organic material and by OM of different origin, e.g., earthworm casts and root residues. The objectives were to verify the effect of OM on wettability and infiltration of intact structural surfaces in clay‐illuvial horizons (Bt) of Luvisols and to investigate the relevance of the mm‐scale distribution of OM composition on the water and solute transfer. Intact aggregate surfaces and biopore walls were prepared from Bt horizons of Luvisols developed from Loess and glacial till. The mm‐scale spatial distribution of OM composition was scanned using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy. The ratio between alkyl and carboxyl functional groups in OM was used as potential wettability index (PWI) of the OM. The infiltration dynamics of water and ethanol droplets were determined measuring contact angles (CA) and water drop penetration times (WDPT). At intact surfaces of earthworm burrows and coated cracks of the Loess‐Bt, the potential wettability of the OM was significantly reduced compared to the uncoated matrix. These data corresponded to increased WDPT, indicating a mm‐scaled sub‐critical water repellency. The relation was highly linear for earthworm burrows and crack coatings from the Loess‐Bt with WDPT > 2.5 s. Other surfaces of the Loess‐Bt and most surfaces of the till‐derived Bt were not found to be repellent. At these surfaces, no relations between the potential wettability of the OM and the actual wettability of the surface were found. The results suggest that water absorption at intact surface structures, i.e., mass exchange between PF paths and soil matrix, can be locally affected by a mm‐scale OM distribution if OM is of increased content and is enriched in alkyl functional groups. For such surfaces, the relation between potential and actual wettability provides the possibility to evaluate the mm‐scale spatial distribution of wettability and sorption and mass exchange from DRIFT spectroscopic scanning.     

Influence of drying conditions on wettability and DRIFT spectroscopic C–H band of soil samples

This study assesses the effect of various drying procedures on water repellency measured by water drop penetration time ( WDPT ) and spectroscopic parameters gauged by Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform spectroscopy (DRIFT) of two anthropogenically-influenced soils at sites in Berlin. Wettable and water-repellent samples were dried at various temperatures and at prescribed relative humidity. WDPT and DRIFT spectroscopic characteristics were obtained from both dried and field-moist subsamples. Normalization of DRIFT spectral C–H band intensity ('surface hydrophobicity') against the integral absorption intensity over the wave number range 4000–400 cm⁻¹ resulted in an apparent resolution between the effects of water content and changes in C-H absorption at the surface. To our current knowledge, the latter could be best explained with changes in the three-dimensional rearrangement of organic molecules or moieties on inner and outer soil organic matter (SOM) surfaces, whereas the former could be a direct consequence of the fraction of inner and outer soil surfaces covered with water and of the mean thickness of the respective water films. Further evidence for this model is required from other investigations focusing on the surfaces in soil, before drawing final conclusions. The results show that the method of drying affects WDPT to a greater extent than soil water content after drying. DRIFT spectra suggest that exposure to high temperature results in some reorganization of SOM in the outer layer. It is further suggested that short exposure may result in a heterogeneous distribution of water leading to localized variation and inconsistency in WDPTs. Drying for 4 weeks under controlled relative humidity at 20°C is suggested as a reference preparation method combining the benefits of an almost unchanged SOM surface compared with field-moist samples with homogeneous moisture distribution.     

Burn Effects on Soil Aggregate Stability and Water Repellency of Two Soil Types from East and North Tunisia

To date, evidence of the potential effects of burning practices on soil properties in Tunisia is limited. In order to address this issue, we carried out laboratory investigations of the effects of burning on soil aggregate stability (AS) and water repellency (WR) of a clayey and a sandy loam Fluvisol soils. The treatments included low (100°C, LT), medium (300°C, MT) and high (600°C, HT), heating temperatures. Unburned (0°C, UB) soil samples were used as a control. Two breakdown mechanisms, fast wetting (FW) and mechanical breakdown (MB), were used for the measurement of AS. The latter is expressed by calculating the mean weight diameter (MWD). The water drop penetration time (WDPT) was used to evaluate the soil WR. The results showed that the unburned clayey and sandy loam soils are poorly aggregated. The HT and MT treatments significantly (p < 0.05) increased MWD of both soils, compared to UB samples, following the FW stability test. A lesser increase of MWD was observed with the MB test. The LT treatment did not significantly (p < 0.05) affect the soils AS. For the unburned clayey soil, the FW and MB tests gave significantly (p < 0.05) different MWDs . In contrast, the unburned sandy loam soil had similar MWDs under both tests. As for water repellency, the sandy loam soil was initially wettable and the clayey soil slightly water repellent. Burning treatments did not affect the sandy loam soil behavior but caused a decrease of clayey soil WR.     

Influence of different plant species on water repellency in Mediterranean heathland soils

It is established that soil hydrophobicity reduces soil infiltration rates, and enhances runoff flow and soil erosion. Water repellency has been studied with special interest in coniferous and eucalyptus forests, particularly after burning, but the number of studies concerning Mediterranean heathlands is still very low. In this paper, we study the occurrence and persistence of water repellency in soil samples collected under different plant species susceptible to induce soil hydrophobicity (Erica arborea, Erica australis, Calluna vulgaris, Quercus lusitanica and Rhododendron ponticum) in a natural protected area in southern Spain. Great attention has been paid to the relationships between soil water repellency and environmental factors as organic matter content and soil acidity. The largest hydrophobicity was measured in soil samples collected under E. australis, E. arborea and C. vulgaris. For these species, the organic matter content and pH showed positive and negative correlations with the persistence of water repellency, respectively. The hydrophobicity originated by humic substances in the soil seems to be the only explanation for slight soil water repellency under Q. lusitanica or R. ponticum. The patchy patterns of occurrence and persistence of soil water repellency is governed by the spatial distribution of the studied species and modulated by other factors. Soil surface water repellent layers reduce the infiltration rates and limit the water storage capacity. However, the macropore flow can be enhanced on non-repellent layers, cracks or roots such us the wetting's front shown. The vegetation effects on soil hydrology should be considered for afforestation works and flooding control.     

Do surface active substances from water repellent soils aid wetting?

Soil water repellency is usually unstable, as exemplified by the common method of quantifying repellency degree – the water drop penetration time (WDPT) test. Dynamic penetration and infiltration of water into repellent soils is generally attributed to either reduction of the solid‐liquid interfacial energy (γ_SL) or reduction of the liquid‐vapour interfacial energy (γ_LV), or both. The reduction of γ_SL can result from conformation changes, hydration, or rearrangement of organic molecules coating soil particle surfaces as a result of contact with water, while the reduction of γ_LV can result from dissolution of soil‐borne surface active organic compounds into the water drop. The purpose of this study was to explicitly test the role of the second mechanism in dynamic wetting processes in unstably repellent soils, by examining the drop penetration time (DPT) of water extracts from repellent soils obtained after varying extraction times and at different soil : water ratios. It was indeed found that soil extracts had lower surface tensions (γ_LV approx. 51–54 mN m⁻¹) than distilled water. However, DPT of the soil extracts in water repellent soils was generally the same or greater than that of water. Salt solutions with the same electrical conductivity and monovalent/divalent cation ratio as the soil extracts, but lacking surface active organic substances, had the same DPT as did the extracts. In contrast, DPT of ethanol solutions prepared with the same γ_LV, electrical conductivity, and monovalent/divalent cation ratio as the soil extracts, was much faster. Ethanol solutions are usually used as an agent to reduce γ_LV and as such, to reduce DPT. It is concluded that the surface‐active, soil‐derived organic substances in aqueous soil extracts do not contribute to wetting dynamics, and as such, this mechanism for explaining kinetics of water penetration into water repellent soils is rejected. It is also concluded that the rapid penetration of ethanol solutions must be due not only to changes in γ_LV, but to also to changes in either or both γ_SL and the solid‐vapour interfacial energy (γ_SV). These results stand in sharp contrast to well‐accepted logical paradigms.