Changes in soil hydraulic conductivity in sweet potato field with living mulch

Living mulch (LM) is used in agricultural fields to suppress weeds, control diseases, and mitigate erosion. It also enhances soil nutrient supply at the root death decay stage during growing season. However, benefits of LM hydraulic properties related pore structure have not been elaborated here. We focus on temporal changes conductivity (K) a field where sweet potato was grown with without (barley, Hordeum vulgare L.). K measured using mini-disk infiltrometer three different pressure heads. In plots LM, decreased significantly August then increased October compared (at –0.5 cm head). Changes due growth or may alter conductivity.