Water contents of glasshouse soils at field capacity and at saturation. 2. Estimating water contents from organic-matter and clay contents or from loss-on-ignition.

Abstract

Water contents of soils at field capacity and at saturation could be accurately estimated with the use of regression equations in which loss-on-ignition was the independent variable. Multiple regression equations in which organic-matter and clay contents were the independent variables did not have a higher predictive value. The regression coefficients in equations for estimating water contents of saturated pastes obtained from air-dry soil samples amount to about 80% of the corresponding coefficients for saturated pastes obtained from field-moist soil samples. The clay fractions were found to contribute much more to the water contents of saturated soil pastes than to those of soils at field capacity. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)