Biology

Lab#12

clayey soil: 14ml sandy soil: 30ml

Discussion

There are two main types of soils: Sandy and clay.

Sand soil is particles are larger and have large air spaces between them. As a result, they have a
percentage of soil air, have good drainage and poor water retentivity. The water retentivity of sandy soil
can be improved by adding clay or humus. Loam is a mixture of sand and clay.

Clay soil particles that are very small and have small air spaces between them. They have poor drainage
but good retentivity. They can become waterlogged.

Water retention refers to the amount of water retained by the soil. Water-holding capacity is controlled
primarily by soil texture and organic matter. Soils with smaller particles (silt and clay) have a larger
surface area than those with larger sand particles, and a large surface area allows a soil to hold more
water. After the rest of the water has percolated, this is the amount of water that stays in the soil.

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 loose particles of a sandy soil, so clays generally retain more
water. Conversely, sands provide easier passage or transmission of water through the profile.

The effects of changes in soil water retention depend on the proportions of the textural components
and the amount of organic carbon present in the soil. At low carbon contents, an increase in carbon
content leads to an increase in water retention in coarse soils and decrease in fine-textured soils.

From the table it can be seen that Sample A retained

Conclusion

Water holding capacity is the amount of water in the soil. Soil water holding capacity is restrained
mainly by the soil texture and the soil organic matter content. The larger the surface area the easier it is
to hold onto water, so it affects its water holding capacity and become higher. A soil capacity to retain
water is determined by the size of the soils particles and the texture soil or the organic content. Soil
moisture of the soil we use is not really high due to soil particles and texture. The sandy clay loam soil
has more sand particles. It retained water but not as much as compared to other type of soils.

Reflection