Using soil moisture constants and physical properties to predict saturated hydraulic conductivity

Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) is an important variable in hydrological cycle processes. Determination of Ks in soils is a difficult and time consuming process. The objective of this study was to determine Ks in soils by pedotransfer (PTF) models derived using soil moisture constants and physical properties. Ks values were determined in 30 different soil samples using constant head permeability method. According to path analyses results, direct effects of some soil properties on Ks in soils were in the following order; permanent wilting point (PWP) > bulk density (BD) > clay (C) > silt (Si) > field capacity (FC). Soil physical properties generally had the highest indirect effects on Ks through PWP. Prediction of Ks by the second order PTF models was significant using only C, Si and DB (r=0.868**) and using only FC and PWP (r=0.796**) in the models. Using moisture constants with the other soil physical properties in the second order PTF model increased significance level of the relation between predicted and measured values of Ks (r=0.955**). Besides soil physical properties, having moisture constants in PTF models showed that saturated Ks values can be predicted more accurately in soils having similar physical boundary conditions such as texture, bulk density etc.