Soil Water Retention
Soil Water Retention - Related Videos
03:10
Soil Core Sample Collection for Water Retention Property Analysis
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2026
Source:Alessia J. Marchesan1, Guillermo Hernandez Ramirez11Renewable Resources, University of Alberta. This video demonstrates the technique for collecting a soil sample for hydraulic property analysis. The sampling area is cleared, and the top crust is evacuated. The sampling ring is then placed into the soil to collect the sample. The ring with the sample is then cleaned, labeled, packed, and transferred undisturbed for analysis.
17:39
A Lipid Extraction and Analysis Method for Characterizing Soil Microbes in Experiments with Many Samples
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Cited by 20 •
2017
The article describes a method that increases throughput while balancing effort and accuracy for extraction of lipids from the cell membranes of microorganisms for use in characterizing both total lipids and the relative abundance of indicator lipids to determine soil microbial community structure in studies with many samples.
10:30
Soil Lysimeter Excavation for Coupled Hydrological, Geochemical, and Microbiological Investigations
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Cited by 5 •
2016
This study presents an excavation method for investigating subsurface hydrological, geochemical, and microbiological heterogeneity of a soil lysimeter. The lysimeter simulates an artificial hillslope which was initially under homogeneous condition and had been subjected to approximately 5,000 mm of water over eight cycles of irrigation in an 18-month period.
08:09
Measuring and Mapping Patterns of Soil Erosion and Deposition Related to Soil Carbonate Concentrations Under Agricultural Management
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Cited by 1 •
2017
Spatial patterns of soil erosion and deposition can be inferred from differences in ground elevation mapped at appropriate time increments. Such changes in elevation are related to changes in near-surface soil carbonates. Repeatable methods for field and laboratory measurements of these quantities and data analysis methods are described here.
09:16
Methods of Soil Resampling to Monitor Changes in the Chemical Concentrations of Forest Soils
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Cited by 19 •
2016
Repeated soil sampling has recently been shown to be an effective way to monitor forest soil change over years and decades. To support its use, a protocol is presented that synthesizes the latest information on soil resampling methods to aid in the design and implementation of successful soil monitoring programs.
FAQs
Water retention changes as soil pores empty or fill because pore size controls drainage and storage. Larger pores release water more readily, whereas smaller pores hold it more strongly against drainage. This distinction helps explain why two soils with different pore distributions can show different moisture availability under the same conditions. In biological studies, this affects how consistently plants and microbes access water between measurements.
Adhesion to mineral and organic surfaces anchors water at pore walls, while cohesion between water molecules helps keep those molecules together. Their combined effects determine how tightly moisture remains associated with soil rather than draining immediately. Recognizing both forces helps researchers interpret why retained water may remain present but become increasingly difficult for organisms to access.
Soil texture, structure, and organic matter influence retention through different aspects of the pore system and surfaces available to hold water. Texture relates to the soil's material composition, whereas structure describes how particles are arranged; organic matter adds another controlling component. Considering these factors together gives biological researchers a stronger basis for comparing soils and predicting moisture behavior.
Researchers assess soil water retention by examining moisture across multiple conditions rather than relying on a single observation. Comparing those moisture states helps estimate field capacity, wilting risk, and plant-available water. In biological techniques, this approach connects a soil's physical behavior with likely effects on plants, microbes, and other organisms, making the measurements useful for interpreting soil function.
Field capacity, wilting risk, and plant-available water are distinct interpretive outcomes of retention measurements. Together, they help researchers describe moisture conditions relevant to soil biology, including whether water is likely to remain available, become limiting, or support biological activity. Considering all three provides a more informative assessment than using one moisture value alone.
Because retention affects water availability, measurements can inform irrigation management, soil fertility studies, and habitat assessment. They also help researchers examine drought resilience and sustainable land use by showing how soils differ in their moisture behavior. In biological techniques, the same measurements connect physical soil properties with ecosystem productivity and the conditions experienced by plants, microbes, and other organisms.