Simulation of water permeability processes in chernozems of the Kamennaya Steppe

The physical and hydrophysical properties of ordinary chernozems from the Kamennaya Steppe were studied for the experimental support of a soil water infiltration model. Increased fissuring and density of the plow horizon were noted because of the dry weather conditions, which caused high infiltration values. The soil water retention curve parameters were calculated from the experimentally determined particle-size distribution, the bulk density of the soil, the solid phase density, the organic matter content, and the physicomechanical and soil-hydrological constants using the known pedotransfer functions and the Voronin secant method. A model experiment with different input parameters was performed. It was shown that the best experimental support of the model included parameters calculated by the Voronin method with the following approximation by the van Genuchten function.