PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF SELECTED INFILTRATION MODELS IN PROFESSOR ABDU LAWAL SAULAWA LIVESTOCK TEACHING AND RESEARCH FARM, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY DUTSIN-MA

Abstract

Soil infiltration is a fundamental hydrological process that influences irrigation efficiency, groundwater recharge, runoff generation, and sustainable agricultural water management. This study evaluated soil infiltration characteristics and the performance of four classical infiltration models-Kostiakov, Horton, Green-Ampt, and Philip at Professor Abdu Lawal Saulawa Livestock Teaching and Research Farm, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, Nigeria. Field measurements were conducted at nine sampling locations during the dry season using a double-ring infiltrometer. Initial infiltration rate, basic infiltration rate, and cumulative infiltration were determined from observations recorded at 1-minute intervals for 40 minutes. Model performance was evaluated using the coefficient of determination (R²). The soils had a mean initial infiltration rate of 0.800 mm min⁻¹, a mean basic infiltration rate of 0.147 mm min⁻¹, and a mean cumulative infiltration of 17.40 mm min⁻¹over 40 minutes. Infiltration rate declined rapidly at the beginning of the tests and subsequently approached a quasi-steady state. The Green-Ampt model produced the highest coefficient of determination (R² = 0.682), followed by Horton (R² = 0.588), Kostiakov (R² = 0.174), and Philip (R² = 0.107). Therefore, Green-Ampt provided the best representation of the observed infiltration behavior among the evaluated models. The model may support site-specific irrigation planning and water-management decisions under comparable soil conditions.