[Objective] The aim was to study the effect of salt solution on characteristics of soil infiltration, and to provide references for the further studies on the effect of water quality on soil infiltration characteristics and its mechanism. [Method] With the NaCl, CaCl2 solutions as the main test materials, the effect of different water quality and salt solution concentration on soil infiltration was studied under one-dimensional vertical ponded water infiltration at laboratory. [Result] The solution concentration could affect the infiltration performance. The trends of the infiltration rates, cumulative infiltrations and wetting front migration distances were all 50 mg/L 100 mg/L 10 mg/L. At the same concentration, the effect of NaCl solution on soil infiltration characteristics was more significant than CaCl2 solution： in the same time, cumulative infiltration and wetting front migration distance of NaCl solution were greater than CaCl2 solution; compared with NaCl solution, CaCl2 solution took longer time to infiltrate the same amount of water. The dynamic changes of infiltration rate, wetting front and cumulative infiltration were well fitted to the Philip model. [Conclusion] This study only conducted indoor experiment to the infiltration of salt solutions, involving in low concentration and small range. Although it provided some references for the study on the effect of water quality on soil infiltration characteristics and its mechanism, studies in larger areas and with bigger concentrations are demanding.
