Question

When a soil has been thoroughly wetted and then allowed to drain until the capillary movement of the water has stopped, the water content of the soil will give the estimate of its

• A. Gravitational water
• B. Capillary water
• C. Field capacity
• D. Storage capacity

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

Field capacity

After a rain or irrigation application, the soil pores are filled with water. If all soil pores are filled with water the soil is said to be saturated. However, after the rain or the irrigation has stopped, some part of the water present in the larger pores move downward through drainage or percolation due to gravity. The large soil pores are filled with both air and water while the smaller pores are still full of water. This stage estimates the field capacity of the soil.