What term describes the amount of water held in the soil after excess water drains away — at saturation or near-saturation?

What term describes the amount of water held in the soil after excess water drains away — at saturation or near-saturation?

• A. Field capacity
• B. Wilting point
• C. Soil moisture deficit
• D. Soil moisture recharge

Answer: (A)

Field capacity is the moisture level in the soil after excess water has drained away and gravity-driven drainage has largely stopped. At this point the soil is moist from capillary forces and can hold water without being waterlogged. It sits higher than the wilting point, which is the lower limit where plants can no longer extract water. The difference between field capacity and wilting point represents the plant-available water. Other terms describe different ideas: wilting point is about the threshold of plant water stress, soil moisture deficit refers to how much water is needed to reach field capacity, and soil moisture recharge describes the process of replenishing soil moisture rather than a fixed water content.

Field capacity is the moisture level in the soil after excess water has drained away and gravity-driven drainage has largely stopped. At this point the soil is moist from capillary forces and can hold water without being waterlogged. It sits higher than the wilting point, which is the lower limit where plants can no longer extract water. The difference between field capacity and wilting point represents the plant-available water. Other terms describe different ideas: wilting point is about the threshold of plant water stress, soil moisture deficit refers to how much water is needed to reach field capacity, and soil moisture recharge describes the process of replenishing soil moisture rather than a fixed water content.