BASIC CONCEPTS IN

SOIL AND WATER

RELATIONSHIPS
PART 1
 SOIL
• a storehouse of nutrients

• a habitat for soil

organisms and plant roots

• a reservoir of water to
meet the
evapotranspiration
demands of plants
The amount of water that the soil can hold
is determined by the physical and
chemical properties of soil.
SOIL PHYSICAL
PROPERTIES
 1. SOIL TEXTURE

• the relative
proportion of
variously sized
groups of mineral
particles in a specific
soil or horizon

SOIL TEXTURE CLASSIFICATION

Basic
Textural
Classes
(US Dept. of Agr.
Soil survey Manual)
 Significance of soil textures

SAND LOAM SILT-LOAM CLAY

Feel gritty gritty silky cloddy or

plastic
Identification loose cohesive shows finger gives shiny
prints streaks
Internal drainage excessive good fair fair to poor
Plant-available water low medium high high
Drawbar pull light light medium heavy
Tillability easy easy medium difficult
Runoff potential low low-medium medium medium-high

Water detachability high medium medium low

Water erodibility high medium low low
FEEL AND APPEARANCE
 2. SOIL STRUCTURE

• the arrangement
and organization
of soil particles
into natural units
of aggregation
The Soil System
Phase Relationships

 In a soil system of total volume VT and

total mass mT:

 VT = Va + Vw + Vs
 Vv = Va + Vw
 mT = ma + mw + ms
3. POROSITY (n)

• the ratio of the void

volume to the total soil
volume (unitless)
v
n
• determines the amount T
of pore spaces within the
soil;
POROSITY

•Sand vs. Clay

 generalrange -
30 - 60%
 for irigatedsoils - 35 -
55%
5.VOID RATIO (e)

Vv n
e 
Vs 1n 6. DEGREE OF
SATURATION, (DOS)
Vw
DOS  x100
Vv
7. MOISTURE CONTENT (mc)

• on a dry mass basis

(mcm) - the ratio of the
mass of water to the dry

mw
mcm  x100
mass of the soil ms
• on a volume basis (mcv)
- the ratio of the volume
of water to the total soil m v w
volume T
 8. SOIL DENSITY
• bulk density (ρb) -
the ratio of the dry
ms
mass of the soil to
the total soil volume b 
VT
• particle density (ρs) -
the ratio of the dry
mass of the soil to ms
the volume of soil
particles s 
Vs
9.APPARENT SPECIFIC
GRAVITY (As)
• ratio of the bulk density
of the soil with the


density of water
As   b 
 s
m
• it is the ratio of the dry
mass of water with w wVT
volume equal to the total
soil volume
10.REAL SPECIFIC
GRAVITY (Rs)
• ratio of the particle density
of the soil with the density
s m

of water
Rs   s

• it is the ratio of the dry

 w wVs
mass of the soil particles to
the mass of water having
soil with low organic
the same volume as these
matter
particles =2.65

irrigated soil with

high OM
=1.5 - 2.0
Relationship existing among
mcv , mcm , and As

mcv = mcm · As
Relationship existing among
n, Rs , and As

As = Rs (1-n)
 SAMPLE PROBLEM
A sharp-edged cylinder 7.5 cm in
diameter is carefully driven into the soil
so that negligible compaction occurs. A
12-cm column of soil is obtained. The
fresh and dry masses of soil sample are
910.6 g and 736.3 g, respectively.
Assume a particle density of 2.6 g/cc.
Determine As, n, mcm, and mcv.
 QUIZ

•The following data are given for a specimen of

soil: fresh mass = 70.9 g, dry mass = 59.9 g,
Rs = 2.6, DOS = 75%.
•Determine the total volume (VT) and porosity
(n) of the sample.
•USEFUL EQUATIONS:
•Density of water = 1g/cc;
•mT = mw + ms ; ρw = mw / Vw ; VT = Vv+ Vs
Vw s  ms
DOS  x100 Rs  n v
Vv w wVs T
 11.DEPTH OF WATER

a. present in the soil (dw) - the equivalent

depth of water in the soil at a given condition

dw = mcv x D
dw = mcm x As x D

where D - depth of crop root zone or depth or

height of soil column under consideration
11. DEPTH OF WATER

b. needed (dwn) - to increase the moisture

content from an initial value (mci) to a final
value (mcf)

dwn = (mcvf – mcvi) x D

dwn = (mcmf – mcmi) x As x D
 12. VOLUME OF IRRIGATION WATER
(Viw)
•volume of water to be applied to increase
the soil moisture content from an initial to
a final value

Viw = dwn x A

where: A - area of the land in

consideration
13. INFILTRATION RATE

the time rate at which water will

percolate into the soil and can be
expressed in terms of the following
equations:
•Lewis-Kostiakov
•Philip
•Horton
• Lewis-Kostiakov


i  ct
i = cumulative infiltration at time t
c, = constants or parameters

f ct 1
• Horton

i ft
 f0  fc 
1  e 
kt
c
k
f  f c   f o  f c e  kt

f = instantaneous infiltration rate at time t

fc = final or constant infiltration rate
fo= initial infiltration rate
• Philip

1
i  st 2  At
S= sorptivity
A = index of gravity
 12
st
f  A
2
14. INTAKE RATE
•the rate of infiltration from a furrow into the soil

15. PERMEABILITY
 velocity of flow caused by a unit hydraulic
gradient in which the driving force is 1 kg
per kg of water
 infiltration vs. permeability