CHAPTER 5.

SOIL WATER
• Soil water is water held in the pores of the soil.
• Water molecule is a compound formed from two hydrogen
atoms and one oxygen atom.
5.1 Importance of soil water
 Water is needed for evapotranspiration consumption of plants
 It is a medium for plant growth
 is a nutrient solvent as well as transporter
 regulates soil air and temperature
 is a medium for microbial mobility
 is a constituent of plant body

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 5.2 Soil water classification

• Two types of soil water classification have been

developed. These are physical and biological
classification.
 Physical classification (Gravitational, capillary and
hygroscopic)
A. Gravitational water: Water in excess of the field capacity
(0.1-0.2 bars). Even if it is loosely held, it is of little use to
plants as it occupies the pore spaces, reducing soil aeration.
• Gravitational water is free water that moves downward
through the soil due to gravity.
• Gravitational water is water that is pulled downward
through a process called gravitational flow.
• Gravitational water is Prepared
water that
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 5.2 Soil water classification

B. Capillary water: is the water held in micro-pores.

It includes most of the water taken up by growing plants
exerts suctions between 0.1 and 31 bars.
• Capillary water is water that is held loosely by cohesive
forces and is most readily available for plants.
• Capillary rise is the movement of water through soil
capillaries.
C. Hygroscopic water: is that bound tightly by the soil
colloids at suction values greater than 31 atm. Plants cannot
make use of this water but some microbes are found to be
active.
• Hygroscopic water is held very firmly to the soil by
adhesion.
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 Soil water classification
 Biological Classification (Available and Unavailable):
 Moisture retained in the soil between the field capacity
(0.1 -0.2 bar) and the permanent wilting coefficient is
called available water.
• Water held at tension greater than 15 bars is said to be
unavailable to plants.
• There is no clear line of demarcation among different forms
of soil water.

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 5.3 Soil moisture retention (Conditions)
• The concept of retention practically refers to the moisture
holding by soil particles. Those soil conditions are grouped in
to three as;
1. Maximum retention capacity (saturation)- is attained when
all the pores in the soil are filled with water, saturated.
• It happens to the topsoil after heavy rain or irrigation. Here,
the matric suction is essentially zero.
2. Field capacity- If the water supply in the above case is cut off,
after a day or so, the Macro pores will be filled by air while the
Micro pores still contain water.
• Water will, then, flows very slowly.
• It is at this level that plants take up the water actively and the
soil is said to be at its field capacity. Its matric suction varies
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3. Permanent Wilting Point (PWP)
is the moisture content at which plants permanently wilt.
• The soil still contains some water, but it is too difficult for
the roots to suck it from the soil (it does not mean that there
is no water in the pores).
• The drier the soil, the more tightly the remaining water is
retained and the more difficult it is for the plant roots to
extract it.
• At this point the suction value is about 15 bars.
• The soil moisture content at this time is called wilting
coefficient or critical moisture.
• For normal growth of plants, the moisture content of the
soil should be kept above this level.
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• Wilting depends
on
 the rate of water use
 depth of root zone
and
 water holding
capacity of soil
• It is the lower end of
available moisture
range

Figure 3.1 Soil water conditions and types

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 What is water holding capacity?
• Water holding capacity is the amount of moisture that is
held by the soil available to the plants.
• Soils have different levels of water holding capacity largely
determined by the texture of the soil.
• Soil Texture is the relative amount of sand, silt and clay in
the soil.
• The soil texture also affects pore space, a portion of the soil
not occupied by solid material but filled with air or water.
• The larger the soil particle the larger the pore spaces.
• Small particles have more spaces but they are smaller in
size.

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Factors affecting the amount and use of available water in the soil

• The amount of available water depend on a number of

factors (plant, climatic, and soil)
Plant factors (growth stage, rooting habit and drought
tolerance)
Climate factors (temperature, humidity, wind velocity
and turbulence)
Soil factors (soil depth, soil texture, soil structure)

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How is water holding capacity affected by soil ?
A. Soils of different types affect the water holding capacity.
• Soils with fine texture are composed mainly of clay and
hold water very firmly. There is less gravitational water with
fine textures.
B. Soils with medium texture have intermediate amounts of
sand and clay, with a large representation of silt.
• Medium soils hold water well but still allow movement
downward.
C. Soils with coarse texture represent those soils that are
largely composed of sand.
• Coarse soils will not hold water very firmly and have fast
permeability.
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 5.4 Soil water movement: How does water move
through the soil?
• Water moves through the soil in many ways.
• Soil pores fill with water as water enters the earth’s crust.
• Water moves through the soil both by capillary action and
by gravity.

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 5.4 Soil water movement: How does water move
through the soil?
• Hydraulic conductivity is a trait of soil that relates to the
ease of water movement through the soil.
• A measure of how easily a fluid passes through a porous
material
• The higher the hydraulic conductivity the more water that
is moved through the soil.
• Eventually all of the pores in the soil are filled with water,
which is saturation. The soil does not contain any air so
plant growth is compromised.
• Permeability is a measure of how easily a porous material
allows fluids to pass through.
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 5.4 Soil water movement: How does water move
through the soil?
• Permeability allows movement of water and in many cases
nutrients through the soil.
• The movement of the nutrients through the soil can be
significant if the soil has much permeability.
• How is permeability affected by soil type?
• Soil type can affect permeability.
• Medium texture allows for moderate permeability.
• Coarse soils have rapid permeability.
• Fine soils have slow permeability and do not drain well.
• Drainage is the movement of excess water through the soil,
removal of water from the soil.
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 5.5 Soil water energy concepts
• The retention and movement of water in soils, its uptake
and translocation in plants, and its loss to the atmosphere
are all energy-related phenomena.
• Energy is a term used to characterize the energy status of
water.
• Water moves from high energy level to low energy level
area depending on the following factors;
Factors of free energy of soil water (What forces
act on soil water)
• Matric force (- value) is the attraction of the soil
solids (metrics) for water. It is created due to
adhesion and cohesion forces.
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 What forces act on soil water
• Matric potential: tendency to adhere to surfaces, such as
container walls.
• Clay soils have high matric potentials.
• It reduces the free energy of water molecules.
• It is determined by the strength of the attraction of water to
the soil matrix
• Most important for unsaturated flow (dry soils)
• Water flows from zones of wet soil to zones of dry soil
(less negative → more negative)
• Adhesion is the attraction of water with the soil particles
• Adhesion is an attractive force that acts between two
different substances. In soil water it is the attraction of soil
to water.
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 What forces act on soil water?
• Cohesion is the attraction of water molecules to
each other
• Cohesion is a force that acts between molecules of
similar substances.
• In the soil it is the attraction of water to itself.
• Due to the hydrogen bonding, water molecules tend to
stick firmly to each other, resisting external forces that
would break the bonds (drop of water, transpiration).
• The balance of these forces determine the availability of
water to plants and how water moves through the soil.
• Both forces affect how water moves through the soil.

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 What forces act on soil water?
Osmotic force (-value) is the attraction of ions and other solutes for water
molecules thereby reducing the free energy of soil solution.
• determined by the concentration of solutes in the soil water
• water flows from zones of low solute to high solute concentrations
• most important for root-water interaction
Gravitational force (+ value) pulls the water down ward. It is elevation
dependent in a soil profile. It is such a differences in free energy level
causes water to flow.
• determined by the height of water above a reference point
• water flows downward under gravity

• Total Soil Water Potential is the difference between the energy state of
soil water and that of pure free water. It is the sum of all the energy
forces acting on the soil water.
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P = Pg (+) + Pm (-) + Po (-) + …
 Soil water potential
• Soil water potential is an expression used to refer to the
tendency of soil water to move.
• Gravitational Potential (Pg) = gh where g is
acceleration due to gravity and h is the height of the soil
water above a reference elevation, chosen within the
profile or at its lower edge.
• Matric potential (Pm) is the result of adsorption and
capillarity.
• Both matric and osmotic potentials are negative as they
reduce the free energy levels of soil water. Thus, they are
called suctions or tensions.

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 5.5 Measuring Soil Moisture Content (SMC)

• There are two types of measurements for soil water: soil

moisture content and soil moisture potential. Moisture
content can be expressed in:

• It is expressed either as fraction or percent.

• The volume ratio or percentage gives better picture of
water available to roots.
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Water Loss and Gain (Water cycle)

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 5.6 Water Uptake by Plants
• Plants obtain water and nutrients from soil
• Plants and animals need water and nutrients to growth and
reproduce.
• Plants acquire the inorganic nutrients as ions dissolved in
water.
• In higher plants, water is absorbed through root hairs, which
are in contact with soil water and from the root hair zone, a
little behind root tips.
• Root hairs are tubular hairs like prolongation of the cells of the
epidermal layer of the roots. The walls of root hairs are
permeable & they consists of cellulose which are strongly
hydrophilic (water loving) in nature.
• When roots elongate, the older hairs die & new root hairs are
developed so that they are in contact with fresh supplies of
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 5.6.1. Water moves from soil to plant to atmosphere
• All biological processes require water: photosynthesis, for
example
• Plant needs nutrients: dissolved in water
• Rate of growth of plant cells and the efficiency of
physiological process are highest when the cells are at
maximum turgor (when they are hydrated).
• To maintain for plant to grow and do photosynthesis well
• Water vapor moves from soil, root to leaf to atmosphere,
how water move from soil?
• Water potential differences: Soil-root, Root-leaf, Leaf-air
• Water moving between soil and plants flows down a
water potential gradient.
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5.6.1. Water moves from soil to plant to atmosphere

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