Vol. 11, Special Issue 5 (2022)

Author(s):
Kartik and Dr. AK Jain

Abstract:
The amount of irrigation water to be applied in any agricultural field is directly dependent upon the water holding characteristics of soil. The water holding capacity indicates the amount of water in the soil available to the plants for optimum growth. The water holding capacity and available water determines the mobilization of various nutrients applied/present in the soil. The water use efficiency also depends upon the water holding capacity of soil. This review paper includes the scientific work done by various workers on water holding capacity of different soils. In this review study, it has been found that the soil organic matter and the soil texture are the two major factors that have a great affect on the soil water holding capacity. It is also found, that the water holding capacity of the soils was considerably increased when the soil was amended with the polymers like - sodium polyacrylate, hydro gel polymers and synthetic polymers. Also, in some cases, it has been observed that the addition of biochar and bentonite soil amendment increases the soil water holding capacity. The application of straw mulch and different tillage systems also has a significant effect on the ability of the soils to hold moisture and the available water capacity. So, from this review study, it is concluded that the addition of amendments to soil has a great effect on water holding capacity of the soil.