Soil water content, a crucial parameter in agriculture, environmental science, and geotechnical engineering, is determined by comparing the mass of water present in a soil sample to the mass of the dry soil. This involves weighing a fresh soil sample, drying it thoroughly (typically in an oven at 105C), and then weighing the dried sample. The difference in weight represents the mass of water originally present. A simple calculation then yields the proportion of water, typically expressed as a percentage.
Accurate measurement provides critical insights for irrigation management, drought assessment, understanding plant-available water, and predicting soil behavior under various conditions. Historically, understanding and quantifying soil moisture has been essential for successful crop production. As technology advanced, so did the methods, moving from basic gravimetric techniques to more sophisticated sensors and remote sensing approaches, all striving for more efficient and precise assessments of this vital resource.
