Water holding capacity directly affects irrigation amount and frequency. Water holding capacity is the soil water retained between a suction of 0.1 to 0.5 bars (field capacity) and 15 bars (permanent wilting point). Water held between these two points is plant available water. Thus, a silt loam soil holds about 2.25 to 2.6 inches of water per foot of soil while a sandy loam can hold only about 1 inch of water per foot. Generally, finer textured soils and those with higher organic matter hold more water than coarse textured, low organic matter soils.

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