Chapter Three

Soil Moisture Retention

Capillarity
One of the important phenomenons of surface tension in the soil is called capillary; which is the
attraction of water into "hair-like" opening or capillary pores. It depends on cohesion of liquid and on
the adhesion of the liquid to solid walls.

Referring to the figure and the force equilibrium:

2 r cos   g r 2 h

2 cos 
h
g r

for the water the value of the angle ɵ is too small so ɵ ≈ 0 then cos ɵ ≈1 hence :
2
h
gr
For water g  9800 N / m 3 and the surface tension is   0.0756 N / m then the equation will be :
2 2  0.0756 1.5  10 5
h  
gr 9800r r
1 .5
h
r
Where; r is the radius of capillary in mm, and h is the height in cm for glass tube
For the soil it can be written approximately as
1 .5
h
d
Where: d is average diameter of soil particles in mm and h in cm

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 The existence of capillary water in soil indicates that the soil isn't saturated and the water pressure is
negative. So the movement of that water is very little because it is hold by forces which reduces its
energy and makes the water movement slowly if we compared with the gravitational water. The basic
movement of the capillary water is due to the changes in the thickening of water film in macro pore.

Available water.
Soil moisture between field capacity and permanent wilting point is referred to as available
moisture. It is the moisture available for plant use. In general, fine-textured soils have a wide
range of water between field capacity and permanent wilting point than coarse textured
soils. In contrast, sandy soils with their larger proportion of non-capillary pore space release
most of their water within a narrow range of potential because of the predominance of large
pores. The table bellow presents the range of available water holding capacities of different
soil textural groups. For irrigation system design, the total available water is calculated for a
soil depth based on the root system of a mature plant of the crop to be grown.

Readily available water: It is that portion of the available water that is relatively easy for the a
plant to use. It is common to consider about 50% of the available water, or less depends on the
method of irrigation, Plant and quality of water.

Soil Moisture Tension

It is a measure of the tenacity with which water is retained in the soil and shows the force per unit
area that must be exerted to remove water from a soil. It is usually expressed in atmospheres

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S o i l M o i s t u r e D e te r m i na t i o n

Introduction

 Several methods can be used to determine soil water content, and new
methods are being developed
 It is important to have measurements of soil water content to determine when to
schedule irrigations

1. Gravimetric Method

 Perhaps the most accurate method is the gravimetric method. in which soil samples
are taken to a laboratory and weighed, dried in an oven for several hours, then
weighed again
 The difference in weights corresponds to the mass of water in the soil
 The gravimetric method has the disadvantage that it takes several hours to collect
and prepare soil samples, and requires laboratory equipment
 This method is sometimes used by researchers and students in our department.

2. Porous Blocks

 Porous blocks have been used for many years to measure soil water content
 Common block materials are gypsum, ceramic, nylon, and fiberglass
 The cost per block is around $5 to S10

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  The blocks may last for more than one year, but sometimes for only one
season

 Two common types are: electrical resistance and heat dissipation

 Electrical resistance blocks function by measuring resistance (Ohms) between
probes embedded in the block, which is a function of soil water content (and salinity)
 Thermal dissipation blocks are made of porous ceramic. They have an
embedded heater and temperature sensors. The thermal dissipation of the block
is related to the water content of the block itself, which is a function of water
tension in the surrounding soil.
 Thermal dissipation blocks are more expensive than electrical resistance blocks

 These are simple and inexpensive. but are not particularly accurate
 The calibration of porous blocks tends to shift with time, and as
mentioned above. it also depends on soil water salinity

3. Watermark Blocks

 The watermark block, or granular matrix sensor, is a new kind of electrical

resistance block
 Electrodes are embedded in the block and a gypsum wafer is embedded in
the granular matrix near the electrodes
 A synthetic porous membrane and a PVC casing with tiny holes drilled in it
hold the block together
 The granular matrix material enhances the movement of water to and from the
surrounding soil. making the block more responsive to soil water tensions in a wider
range, this makes them more adaptable to a wider range of soil textures and soil
water contents than gypsum blocks and tensiometers
 These blocks also last longer than most other porous blocks
 They cost about S30 each

4. Neutron Probe

 The neutron probe was very common for

taking measurements of soil water content, and is still used in some places
 The device is accurate and quick to apply, but is also expensive at about
$3,000 or so
 measurements with the neutron probe should start at about 9 inches
below the soil surface to avoid boundary errors. but this depends on the soil
water content (with more water. the sphere of influence of the probe decreases)

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  Vertical access tubes for inserting the probe are usually aluminum or PVC, but
the calibration is different for these two materials — the probe reading is not affected
by aluminum. but PVC has some hydrogen, and this does affect the reading
 Neutron probes are radioactive and can be health
hazards if handled improperly. Users should have formal
training on the application and storage of these devices. and
should wear badges that call to checked for level of exposure to
radiation
 This device is still used (and preferred) by some
agricultural extension agents and researchers in the USA

5. Time-Domain Reflectometry (TDR)

 In TDR, an electromagnetic signal is introduced along two or
three wave guides (stiff wires inserted into the soil)
 The signal is in the form of a single pulse
 The pulse travels the length of the guides (10 to 30 cm)
 When it hits the end, it reflects" back to the source
 This is why we call it "reflectometry'
 One measures the time that it takes for the wave to travel
the length of the guides and back to the source
 This is why we call it "time domain"

 The speed of the transmission is a large fraction of the

speed of light
 However, the more water in the soil, the higher the
dielectric forces (required to orient the very polar water
molecules in line with the magnetic flux), and the slower
the speed of the transmission
 The effect is a bit like capacitance, where the water
molecules absorb some energy as they are aligned

 Because water is by far the most abundant polar molecule

in the soil, you can measure water content u s i n g T D R
by corre l ati n g th e change in speed (or increase in
time) for the signal to travel to the end of the guides and
to reflect back

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 The final measurement represents th e av e rage v ol u m e tri c wa t e r content over the
length of the wave guides
 The guides must be completely inserted into the soil
 With most TDR. an expensive ,cable tester" (a specialized oscilloscope) is needed to
take the measurements

 The presence of other "dielectric' molecules in the soil will

bias the reading
 Therefore, often TDR must be calibrated to a specific soil
 Also, the presence of salinity in the soil will change the dielectric constant for the soil-
water solution
 Therefore, a correction for salinity must be made
 The dielectric constant is a weak function of temperature, so that a temperature
correction may he needed for high accuracy

6. FDR Sensor
 A sensor similar to the TDR is the FDR sensor
(Campbell Scientific)
 This sensor uses frequency domain reflectometry
 The physics of the method are similar to TDR,
only with FDR, a high frequency series of pulses
is sent down the wave guides rather than a
single pulse
 The electronics for the system then measure the
shift in frequency rather than the change in time
 The required electronics are built into each
sensor, so an expensive "cable tester is not
needed as it is with TDR
 However. each water content reflectometer sensor is a bit more expensive (about
200$)
 But each sensor can to read directly and automatically using a Campbell data logger

 Other sensors use techniques that are similar to TDR, however, instead of relying on
a reflection of a signal, they merely measure the time for a signal to travel a certain
distance along guides
 These guides are in the form of wires. and should be about 10-m long to make a loop
back to the source
 The benefit of these sensors is that they measure a long integrated path of soil
 This is valuable where the crop root extraction or the infiltration of irrigation water
is highly variable
 It may be possible to use these sensors to measure the average water content of a
full root zone
 This would allow one to determine ET as a difference in water content over time

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7. Tensiometers

 First of all, tensiometers are not used to measure soil water

content - they are for measuring matric potential (soil water
tension)
 Tension is a measure of how tightly the water is bound to the
soil, and is an indication of the availability of the water for
uptake by plant roots, as well as for movement within the soil
profile
 Soil water tension is directly related to water content (ignoring
hysteresis), given a particular soil type, and can be used to
give arm of the amount of water in a soil profile
 A tensiometer has several components, including the following:
1. porous ceramic cup at the bottom
2. water reservoir tube
3. dial gauge
4. end cap
 The porous ceramic cup regulates the flow of water into and out of the tensiorieter, from
the surrounding sot
 After some time it will reach equilibrium with the
tension in the soil
 The reservoir tube holds a supply of water,
which the tensiometer needs to operate
 The water should be de-aerated. if possible
(boil it first, then let it cool)
 A hand-operated vacuum pump is used to
evacuate air from the tensiometer after it is filled
with water
 An end cap seals the unit and allows negative
pressures to be maintained inside the
tensiometer
 The dial gauge provides a reading of the soil water tension
 A reading of zero corresponds to saturated soil conditions
8. The "Feel" Method
 This is a time-honored method for estimated soil water content
 It is still used by many practicing irrigation engineers and by farmers
 Soil samples are taken in the field using a shovel or a soil auger, from the crop root
zone
 The samples are worked between the thumb and forefinger to obtain an estimate of the
soil water content, and whether it is time to irrigate

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