CROP PHYSIOLOGY Lecture Notes - Field Capacity, Permanent Wilting Point, Soil Structure
Document Summary
Field capacity, available soil water and permanent wilting point. Field capacity or water holding capacity of the soil. After heavy rain fall or irrigation of the soil some water is drained off along the slopes while the rest percolates down in the soil. Out of this water, some amount of water gradually reaches the water table under the force of gravity (gravitational water) while the rest is retained by the soil. This amount of water retained by the soil is called as field capacity or water holding capacity of the soil. Field capacity is affected by soil profiles soil structure and temperature. Wheat is used as the benchmark plant in this assessment. Available water holding capacity rankings are estimated from soil texture, structure and stone content within the potential root zone of a wheat plant. Water-holding capacity is controlled primarily by soil texture and organic matter.
