Wilting Coefficient, Water Infiltration and Textural Analysis of Soils on Five Different Range Sites near Hays, Kansas

The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the wilting coefficient, water infiltration and textural analysis of soils on clay upland, lowland, loamy upland, limy upland and break sites soils. The Briggs and Shantz (1912) method was used for determining wilting coefficient. The pressure membrane apparatus (15 atm.) was used to check those results. Steel cylinders, six inches in diameter and 15 inches long, were used to measure the rate of water infiltration. The Bouyoucos hydrometer method (Bouyoucos, 1936) was used to determine the textural analysis. Wilting coefficient was higher on the clay upland than on the other sites. Water infiltration was most rapid on the break site and slowest on the clay upland. A higher percentage of clay was found in the clay upland soil and a higher percentage of sand was found in the limy upland and break site soils. Due to the different soil characteristics, topography and soil moisture content, different vegetation was found on each range site.