Abstract:Effect mechanism of vegetation recovery on soil infiltration capability could provide scientific bases for soil and water conservation in Karst region. Compared with Nicotiana tabacum farmland and Cryptomeria fortunei plantation, this study selected different vegetation restoration stages and different young economic fruit forests as subject. Interchangeable space-time method were employed to study soil infiltration characteristic and its affecting factors. The results showed that: 1) soil infiltration capability was given as the sequence of Prunus salicina intercropped with Lonicera japonica>Rosa kweichowensis intercropped with Actinidia deliciosa>Prunus salicina intercropped with Rosa kweichowensis >Ziziphus montana intercropped with Zea mays, and thin arbor forest>shrub>shrub and grass>arbor and shrub>grassland>plantation forest. 2) The Nicotiana tabacum farmland had better soil infiltration capability as a result of its mean infiltration and steady infiltration rate were only lower than thin arbor forest. 3) Infiltration process was performed well by Kostialov model for different vegetation restoration stages in this region. However, to young fruit forests soil, Philip or Horton models could give better performance. Initial soil infiltration rate and steady infiltration rate simulated by Horton model were similar to the measured values. So Horton infiltration model was the best model to describe soil infiltration process in the study region. 4) There were significant positive correlation between sand concentration (1-0.05mm in diameter) and soil infiltration (P<0.05). Soil infiltration were obviously negatively related to silt concentration (0.05-0.001mm in diameter) (P<0.01). Sand concentration(1-0.05mm in diameter)and silt concentration (0.05-0.001mm in diameter) were main affecting factors to soil infiltration.