Soil Moisture is a key factor that impacts on the productivity of the soil. Three main factors affect soil moisture content:
- How well the soil can absorb water;
- How well the soil can store moisture; and
- How quickly the water is lost or used.
Soils can have poor infiltration if the soil aggregates have broken down and the spaces between them are small (degraded soil structure). This can be due to (i) compaction, (ii) continued cultivation, (iii) declining soil organic matter; and (iv) surface crusting due to sodic clay soil.
The two main sources of moisture loss are drainage and evaporation. A soil which has been saturated and then allowed to drain for 24 hrs is said to be at Field Capacity.. Soil management that improves soil structure or organic matter should gradually improve moisture storage.Improving soil organic matter will reduce drainagelosses by improving Field Capacity and will also reducethe loss of important mineralsdue to leaching.A ground cover of mulch or low growing plantscan reduce evaporation from the top soil as well asproviding protection against erosion. Similarly wind breaks reduce evaporation losses and retain soil moisture upto 100 metres away.
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Irrigation
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Drainage Issues
- Moisture index
- Zero moisture index
- Moisture penetration
- Belt of soil water
- Interstice, or Void (in a rock, or soil)
- Field capacity, Normal field capacity, Normal moisture capacity, Maximum field carrying capacity, Field capillary (moisture) capacity, Effective water-holding capacity, Specific retention
- Well graded soil
- Soil Science
- Soil
- Soil morphology
- Mature soil
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- Skeletal soil
- Endodynamorphic soil
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- Glacial tills, or Glacial soil
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- Soil profile
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- Soil horizon symbols
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- Plansols, or Planosoils
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- Laterite soil, or Latosol
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- Mallee soil, Solonized brown soil, Mallisol
- Transitional soil
- Soil consistence, or Consistency
- Air capacity of soil
- Air content of soil
- Mobile soil colloids
- Colloidal-moisture equivalent ratio
- Soil solution
- Unsaturated soil solution
- Saturated soil
- Soil reaction
- Soil moisture
- Soil moisture accretion
- Field moisture
- Moisture content, Water content or Moisture percentage
- Moisture gradient
- Soil moisture deficit
- Unsaturated soil
- Saturated soil paste
- Hygroscopic moisture, Hygroscopic water, or Moisture of condensation
- Capillary moisture, or Capillary water
- Imbibation moisture, or Water of imbibation
- Moisture-holding capacity, Saturation capacity or Maximum water capacity
- Available moisture capacity
- Unavailable soil moisture, or Unavailable water
- Soil moisture tension, or Moisture tension
- Moisture characteristics (of soils)
- pF of soil water
- Soil water zone
- Soil water deficit
- Soil water tension
- Soil temperature
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- Productivity (of soil)
- Lacustrine, Fen soil, or Lowmoor
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- Neutral soil
- Sajong soils, or Shachiang soils
- Calcareous soil
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- Soil horizon of carbonate accumulation
- Soil amendment
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- Soil sterilization
- Soil conditioner
- Allowable bearing value, or Allowable soil pressure
- Soil classification systems
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- Soil-cement lining
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- Standard soil-cement
- Wetted soil percentage
- Available soil water storage
- Soil hydraulic conductivity
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- Soil specific gravity or Dry bulk density
- Soil water stress
- Soil water content
- Soil water tension
- Total available soil water storage
- Total soil water storage
- Soil degradation
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- Subsoil
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- Subsurface drainage, Under drainage, Subsoil drainage, Underground drainage, or Covered drainage
- Drain tile, Field drain pipe, Subsoil pipe, Land pipe
- Field capacity, Field moisture capacity, Normal field capacity, Normal capacity, Capillary capacity, Maximum field carrying capacity, Field capillary (moisture) capacity, Effective water holding capacity
- Moisture content
- Soil water head
- Total head, Total hydraulic head or Total soil water potential
- Uniform soil
- Surface moisture, or Free moisture
- Moisture-absorbing formwork
- Neutron probe, Neutron soil moisture probe (or gauge), Neutron moisture meter, or Neutron scattering probe
- Resistance block, or Moisture block
- Soil conservation
- Soil management
- Soil creep, or Solifluxion
- Soil erosion
- Surface sealing (of soil)
- Soil K-factor
- Soil loss equation
- Total potential (of soil water)
- Soil water pressure
- Soil Water Characteristics Curve
- Soil water diffusivity
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- Soil drainage status
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- Subsoil flow tank
- Soil survey
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- Soil Carbon Pool