Uneven moisture patterns in water repellent soils

In the Netherlands, water-repellent soils are widespread and they often show irregular moisture patterns, which cause accelerated transport of water and solutes to the groundwater and surface water. Under grass cover, spatial variability in soil moisture content is high owing to fingered flow; in arable land, vegetation and microtopography play a dominant role. Examples are given of uneven soil moisture patterns in water-repellent sandy, loam, clay and peat soils with grass cover, and in cropped water-repellent sandy soils. In addition, the influence of fungi on inducing soil moisture patterns is illustrated as well