Soil water retention is the ability of the soil to hold back a certain amount of water.
This occurs based on the texture and the organic matter content of the soil. Soil comprises of three soil particles; snd, clay and silt. Each of these soil particles have a high or low permeability rate. In the sandy soil sample, the retention of the water was low due to its large particles unlike the clay soil sample as it was made up of small, fine particles which lessens the permeability of water through it, therefore the sandy soil had a better drainage of water. The retention of water in soils have benefited the Agricultural area in crop production and also has a major contribution to the healthy growing of plants .
In agriculture, sandy soils are used due to its lightness which makes it manageable to use for planting, ploughing and cultivating crops. However, these soils tend to dry out and there isn’t enough retention of nutrients and water. Clay soil, on the other hand, because of its density, is able to hold on to the moisture and nutrients longer than the sandy soil with proper distribution of it.
