Abstract: Soil crust is a normal natural phenomenon with different water hydrophilicity and repellency due to different formation mechanism, thus affecting soil hydraulic characteristics and hydrological cycle. In this study, we measured water repellent characteristics of physical and biological crusts under different vegetations in the field using water drop penetration time (WDPT). The surface morphology of crusts was observed using scanning electron microscopy, and the infiltration characteristics of crusts and their non-crust soils (control) was evaluated with micro-infiltration device. The results showed that: 1) The average WDPT of physical crusts and the control soils was 3.3 s and 0.9 s, respectively, indicating that both were hydrophilic. The average WDPT of biological crusts ranged from 20.9 s to 140.9 s, which was 2.8 to 19 times that of control, and that under Diospyros lotus and Robinia pseudoacacia was 134.5 s and 140.9 s, respectively. 2) Compared with the control, the cumulative infiltration amount, average infiltration rate and moisture absorption force of physical crusts decreased by 0-4.3%, 3.5%-5.1%, and 27.2%-90.1%, respectively, while those of biological crusts decreased by 0-25%, 1.4%-28.2% and 36.0%-84.9%, respectively. 3) Regardless of the presence of crusts or not, there were “hockey-stick-like” curves by using Philip model to fit infiltration data. Before the WRCT point in the “hockey-stick-like” curve, the point source infiltration was mainly horizontal diffusion. After the WRCT point, the infiltration was mainly vertical diffusion. The presence of soil crust prolonged the formation time of the turning point. In all, physical crusts formed by inorganic mineral particles blocking the surface soil did not affect water repellency, while biological crusts that reflected the effects of hydrophobic organic compounds on soil structure enhanced its water repellency. Both physical crusts and biological crusts decreased the cumulative infiltration amount and average infiltration rate of soil. Compared with the control, physical crusts mainly affected soil hygroscopicity, but with limited effects on the steady infiltration rate. Biological crust decreased soil hygroscopicity and increased steady infiltration rate.

Key words: physical crust, biological crust, soil water repellency, infiltration characteristic, “hockey-stick-like” curve