Premium
Available Moisture Storage Capacity in Relation to Textural Composition and Organic Matter Content of Several Missouri Soils
Author(s) -
Jamison V. C.,
Kroth E. M.
Publication year - 1958
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1958.03615995002200030001x
Subject(s) - silt , subsoil , organic matter , soil water , soil science , water content , moisture , environmental science , geology , mineralogy , chemistry , geotechnical engineering , geomorphology , organic chemistry
Analaysis of the available moisture storage data for 271 profile horizon samples from soils of northwestern, central, eastern, and southwestern Missouri show that for these dominantly silty soils available moisture storage capacity (A.W.C.) decreases with clay and increases with silt content. Coarse silt (0.05 to 0.02 mm.) increases A.W.C. more than fine silt (0.02 to 0.002 mm.). A.W.C. also increases generally with organic matter content but since organic matter increases with coarse silt and decreases with clay the effect can be attributed to textural changes. The siltrich surface is higher in organic matter and A.W.C. than the clay‐rich subsoil (particularly the clay pans). Only in a grouping of samples between 13 and 20% clay is there evidence that organic matter may improve storage, possibly by forming silt sized microaggregates in the clay. This effect is not apparent in soils dominated by fine textural components and relatively low in organic matter.