WATER MOVEMENT

in SOIL
 WHAT IS SOIL WATER?
Soil water—sometimes called soil moisture—represents the water
in land surfaces (unsaturated zone).
Soil moisture is the water content of the soil.
Soil water fill-up the pores space and act as universal solvent
nutrient carrier and nutrient itself.
 SOIL WATER MOVEMENT
❑ is an important process in soil
❑ controls the amount of water available to
plants, how much water can be stored in
the soil, and whether the root zone has
excess water in.
4 TYPES OF MOVEMENT

Infiltration
Infiltration refers to the downward entry or
movement of water into the soil surface.
The rate at which water is penetrating the surface of
soil at any given instant is called the infiltration rate,
usually measured in cm/hr.
4 TYPES OF MOVEMENT

Percolation
downward movement of water through a
column of soil due to force of gravity.
4 TYPES OF MOVEMENT

Permeability
indicates the relative ease of movement of
water within the soil.
The characteristics that determine how fast
air and water move through the soil.
4 TYPES OF MOVEMENT

Capillary movement
the water moved in the form of thin or capillary film
from a wet regions to dry region.
In soils, above water level and some parts get
saturated fully above due to capillarity, water rises
to some distance to that some other part gets
partially saturated.
It doesn’t depend upon the grain size, but it does depend
upon the pore size.
SOIL MOISTURE
TENSION
Soil Moisture Tension (SMT)
- The term “soil moisture tension is used synonymously to
other terms-‘soil moisture potential’, ‘soil moisture suction-
to cover the entire range of moisture (Khonke, 1968).
- the amount of force necessary to remove a water molecule
from a soil particle to allow for uptake by a plant's root
system.
 Soil Moisture Tension
- It is measured using device called Tensiometer.
- commonly expressed in units of bars or centibars.
One bar is equal to 100 centibars (cb).
AVAILABILITY OF WATER
AT VARIOUS MOISTURE
CONDITION
3 FORMS OF WATER:

Gravitational Capillary Hygroscopic

water that is
water that is
water that held so
held in the
moves tightly by soil
pore spaces
downward particles that
between the
through the it is
tiny soil
soil unavailable
particles
to plants
 Terms that illustrate soil from its wettest condition to its
driest condition:

1. SATURATION
➢ the soil water content when all pores are filled
with water.

2. FIELD CAPACITY
➢ the soil water content after the soil has been
saturated and allowed to drain freely for about
24 to 48 hours. Free drainage occurs because
of the force of gravity pulling on the water.

3. PERMANENT WILTING POINT

➢ the soil water content when plants have
extracted all the water they can. At the
permanent wilting point, a plant will wilt and
not recover.
 THANK YOU!

Crystal J. D. Calva Angel Antoinette G. Dagoy

BSA- 1 BSA- 1