Water retention characteristics of a Red-Yellow Podzolic soil at Goiana, Pernambuco State, Brazil

Abstract

The water retention capacity of disturbed and undisturbed soil samples taken from five horizons of a Red-Yellow Podzolic soil in Itapirema, Goiana, Pernambuco State, Brazil, was determined. The relation between the water content in situ at field capacity and the tension values of the Soil retention curves obtained in laboratory was also studied. The results showed that at low tensions the disturbed samples retained more water than the undisturbed ones. At field capacity, the tension at which the water was retained was similar throughout the entire profile in both disturbed and undisturbed samples. The tension values at field capacity for the disturbed samples were 0,006 M Pa for the Ap horizons and 0,01 M Pa for the A_p, A₃, B₁t, B₂₁t and B₂₂ horizons;for the undisturbed samples the corresponding tension values were around 0,006 M Pa for all horizons.