Field capacity, Available soil water

and
Permanent wilting point

Dr. K. Venkatesan
Professor (CRP)
The water cycle
 The chief source of water to the soil is rain.

After the rains, a part of the water drains away. This is

called as runaway water and it is not available to the plants.

A part of the water percolates downwards through large

pores between the soil particles under the influence of gravity and
is known as gravitational water.
It reaches to the low water table and goes beyond the root
zone.

Alternatively, a good amount of water is retained by the soil

particles and is called as Field Capacity
• Soil infiltration
– Clay = slow

– Sand = fast
Forms of Soil Water Storage
Water is held in soil in various ways and not all of it is available to
plants

Chemical water is an integral part of the molecular structure of

soil minerals. It can be held tightly by electrostatic forces to the
surfaces of clay crystals and other minerals and is unavailable to
plants

Gravitational water is held in large soil pores and rapidly drains

out under the action of gravity within a day or so after rain. Plants
can only make use of gravitational water for a few days after rain

Capillary water is held in pores that are small enough to hold

water against gravity, but not so tightly that roots cannot absorb
it. This water occurs as a film around soil particles and in the
pores between them and is the main source of plant moisture.
Soil water
relations -
films and
adhesion

10 atms is approximately 1 MPa

Stages of Water Holding
Field Capacity of Soil

the amount of water retained by the soil after the drainage of

gravitational water has become very slow.
field capacity water content retained in soil at −33 J/kg (or
−0.33 bar)

Field capacity is affected by

soil profile,
soil texture
soil temperature

Water Holding Capacity

In a fully saturated soils, the percentage of moisture held

in the form of film, is called Water Holding capacity of the soil.
Permanent wilting point (PWP)

the minimum soil moisture at which a plant wilts and can no

longer recover its turgidity when placed in a saturated atmosphere.

wilting point water content in soil at −1500 J/kg (or −15 bars –
1.5 MPa )

At this point, water present only in smallest micro pores and

plant cannot normally use this water

At –30 bars, water is held so tightly and the water is in non-

liquid vapour phase

At –60 bars, vapour water also is absent which is called

ultimate wilting point
Available soil water

The amount of water retained between field capacity and permanent

wilting point is available for plant growth (Between 0.1 to –15 bars)
Water extraction,
wet sponge - As the sponge
Beginning with the becomes When the
sponge at field progressively sponge is nearly
capacity, when all drier, more dry, much more
gravitational water energy is energy is
had drained, begin required to required to
to squeeze the extract water. (It extract just a
sponge. has to be little bit of water.
At first it takes little squeezed
energy to extract harder.)
water.
 Field Wilting Available
Texture
Capacity point water
Coarse sand 0.6 0.2 0.4
Fine sand 1.0 0.4 0.6
Loamy sand 1.4 0.6 0.8
Sandy loam 2.0 0.8 1.2
Light sandy clay
2.3 1.0 1.3
loam
Loam 2.7 1.2 1.5
Sandy clay loam 2.8 1.3 1.5
Clay loam 3.2 1.4 1.8
Clay 4.0 2.5 1.5
Self-mulching
4.5 2.5 2.0
clay