Save Water by Infiltration

Call for a Soil Site Assessment today and learn how you can improve infiltration and save water.

Water infiltration in soil is of paramount importance for several reasons, and microbes play a significant role in facilitating this process. Here's why water infiltration is crucial and how microbes contribute to its formation:

Importance of Water Infiltration in Soil:

• Plant Growth: Adequate water infiltration ensures that plants receive the moisture they need for growth and development. It helps to maintain optimal soil moisture levels for plant roots to access water, reducing the risk of drought stress.

• Nutrient Transport: Water serves as a carrier for essential nutrients dissolved in the soil. Proper infiltration ensures the efficient transport of nutrients to plant roots for uptake, supporting plant nutrition.

• Groundwater Recharge: Infiltration is a key component of groundwater recharge, which replenishes underground aquifers. This is vital for maintaining this sustainable source of freshwater for drinking, irrigation, and other purposes.

• Erosion Control: Adequate infiltration reduces surface runoff, which can erode the topsoil and carry sediments into nearby water bodies. This helps in preventing soil erosion and maintaining water quality.

• Flood Mitigation: Efficient water infiltration can mitigate the risk of flooding by allowing water to enter the soil rather than accumulating on the surface.

Microbial Contributions to Water Infiltration:

• Soil Structure Improvement: Microbes, especially fungi and bacteria, contribute to soil structure by producing substances like extracellular polysaccharides and glues. These substances help bind soil particles into aggregates, creating pore spaces and macropores that facilitate water infiltration.

• Biopores: Soil-dwelling organisms, such as earthworms and insects, create channels and burrows within the soil. These biopores act as pathways for water to move deeper into the soil profile, increasing infiltration rates.

• Organic Matter Decomposition: Microbes are responsible for breaking down organic matter in the soil. As they decompose organic materials like plant debris and dead organisms, they create channels and spaces in the soil structure, enhancing infiltration capacity.

• Root Exudates: Plant roots release (exude) organic acids and mucilage, which feed beneficial microbes. These microbes can improve soil structure around the roots, increasing root penetration and creating pathways for water to enter the soil.

• Enhanced Soil Porosity: Microbial activity, such as the growth of fungal hyphae, (underground part of mushrooms) can create small pores in the soil, improving its overall porosity and water-holding capacity. These pores allow water to infiltrate more easily.

• Soil Aggregation: Microbes play a role in aggregating (gathering) soil particles, which leads to the formation of stable soil structures. These aggregates have spaces between them that facilitate water infiltration.

In conclusion, water infiltration in soil is crucial for various ecological and agricultural processes, and microbes play a pivotal role in supporting this process. Their contributions to soil structure, the creation of biopores, organic matter decomposition, and enhanced soil porosity all promote efficient water infiltration, benefiting both natural ecosystems and agricultural systems. Proper soil management practices that promote a healthy microbial community can help improve water infiltration rates and overall soil health.

Call for a Soil Site Assessment today and learn how you can improve infiltration and save water.