Question

Differentiate between gravitational water and capillary water.

Answer 1

The amount of water in the soil that percolates downward under the influence of gravity and reaches the water table is called gravitational water. Whereas the amount of water that is retained in minute interstitial spaces in the form of thin films surrounding the soil particles, is known as capillary water. The capillary water is the source of almost all the water that a plant absorbs from the soil, whereas the gravitational water is unavailable to plants.