Investigating the soil moisture

Water is life, but too much water is not good for most crop plants (and roots). If anything, too much water or moisture in the soil prevents good growth because aeration and warming of the soil is inadequate.

During our field studies we carefully examine the terrain and the local soil conditions and clarify the possible causes for the soil moisture. The following table clarifies the complexity of the natural relationships and provides the basic approaches for detecting the problems:

Topic	Question	Hints or problem-solving approach
Soil moisture	widespread, in places	vegetation, tracks, flood
land surface	even, undulating, sloping, pending	maps with contour lines, measurement of depth differences (levelling)
drainage capability	sufficient, non-existent, natural, artificial	stream, ditches, drainpipes, depth, diameter
ground water	available, not available, depth	well, auger, spade
backwater	temporary backwater	auger, spade, depth and type of blocking layers
retained water	latent ground water	auger, spade
soil type	stone, gravel, sand, silt, clay, peat	finger test (rub, knead, cut)
terrain type	soil structure, colour, density, root penetration	soil map, auger, spade
water permeability	very low, low, medium, high, very high	auger, spade, estimate, seepage sample
iron clogging	iron ochre in soil profile or water	soil colour, oily membranes in the ground water
land use	crop type, yield quantities and security, difficulty in processing, damage during processing	indicator plants

This may also interest you:
What are indicator plants and what types are there?
What kinds of water are in the soil?

Investigating the soil moisture

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