Question

Water holding capacity of the soil depends upon

• A. Chemical composition of soil
• B. Particle size of soil
• C. Aggregation of soil particles
• D. All of the the above

Answer 1

The correct option is D All of the the above

Water holding capacity or field capacity is the ability of a certain soil texture to physically hold the water against the force of gravity.

This field capacity of the soil depends on many factors like chemical composition of the soil i.e., the type of ions present in the soil and hence pH of the soil. The size of the soil particles determines the texture of the soil. Soil textures like sand, silt clay are basically types of soil depending on the size of the soil particles.

Sand is composed of large particles, hence it has less aggregation between the particles and forms pores in between, which then hold less water whereas clay has fine small particles and has a better aggregation between the particles, hence has a higher water holding capacity.