Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
All plants, including crop, require air (specifically, oxygen) to respire, produce energy, and keep their cells alive. In agriculture, waterlogging typically blocks air from getting to the roots. [3] With the exception of rice (Oryza sativa), [4] [5] most crops like maize and potato, [6] [7] [8] are therefore highly intolerant to waterlogging.
Water retention curve is the relationship between the water content, θ, and the soil water potential, ψ. The soil moisture curve is characteristic for different types of soil, and is also called the soil moisture characteristic. It is used to predict the soil water storage, water supply to the plants (field capacity) and soil aggregate stability.
in the condensation of the water-vapour of the air on the cold surface of a glass; in the capillarity of hair, wool, cotton, wood shavings, etc.; in the imbibition of water from the air by gelatine; in the deliquescence of common salt; in the absorption of water from the air by concentrated sulphuric acid; in the behaviour of quicklime". [4]
Consolidation is the process in which reduction in volume takes place by the gradual expulsion or absorption of water under long-term static loads. [3] When stress is applied to a soil, it causes the soil particles to pack together more tightly. When this occurs in a soil that is saturated with water, water will be squeezed out of the soil.
Pores (the spaces that exist between soil particles) provide for the passage and/or retention of gasses and moisture within the soil profile.The soil's ability to retain water is strongly related to particle size; water molecules hold more tightly to the fine particles of a clay soil than to coarser particles of a sandy soil, so clays generally retain more water. [2]
It causes an obstruction to the flow of water in the pores and hence reduces the permeability of soils. According to Casagrande , it may be taken as the void ratio occupied by absorbed water and the permeability may be roughly assumed to be proportional to the square of the net voids ratio of (e - 0.1) [ 4 ]
This gradient of water potential causes endosmosis. The endosmosis of water continues until the water potential both in the root and soil becomes equal. It is the absorption of minerals that utilise metabolic energy, but not water absorption. Hence, the absorption of water is indirectly an active process in a plant's life.
Infiltration is the process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil. The water enters the soil through the pores by the forces of gravity and capillary action. The largest cracks and pores offer a great reservoir for the initial flush of water. This allows a rapid infiltration. The smaller pores take longer to fill and rely on ...