Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity of US Soils Grouped According to Textural Class and Bulk Density

The importance of saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) as a soil hydraulic property led to the development of multiple pedotransfer functions for estimating it. One approach to estimating Ksat uses textural classes rather than specific textural fraction contents as a pedotransfer input. The objective of this work was to develop and evaluate a grouping-based pedotransfer procedure to estimate Ksat for sample sizes used in laboratory measurements. A search of publications and reports resulted in the collection of 1245 data sets with coupled data on Ksat, USDA textural class, and bulk density in the United States into a database called USKSAT. A separate database was assembled for the state of Florida that included 24,566 data sets. Data in each textural class were split into high and low bulk density groups using the splitting algorithm that created the most homogeneous groups. Sample diameters and lengths were