Abstract
The relation between water potential and apparent permittivity was evaluated for Leached Chernozem, Dernovo-Podzolic and Gray Forest soils, kaolin and bentonite clays, kaolin-sand, and bentonite–sand mixtures 1:4. Water potential was found to be closely related to the permittivity for soils of similar textures and for clays, regardless of the essential difference in the relations between water potential and water content, and between permittivity and water content. The results can be explained by assuming that both permittivity and water potential are influenced by the same factor—the tightness of the soil water binding. The observed relations enable evaluation of water retention for soils of similar texture based on TDR measurements. This can be important for soil surveys and irrigation management.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Russian Foundation for Basic Researches with grants No. 96-04-49724 and 99-04-48958.