Water absorption is affected by the following factors:
1. Available soil water
2. Soil aeration
3. Soil temperature
4. The concentration of soil solution
1. Available soil water:
Soil water present in the capillary spaces of soil particle is called available water as only this can be absorbed by roots. This is directly related to the structure of the soil. More is the amount of capillary water, higher is the rate of absorption of water. The rate of absorption is optimum when water in the soil is in the range of its field capacity or it’s water holding capacity.
2. Soil aeration:
- Absorption of water takes place rapidly in well-aeriated soils such as loam.
- In waterlogged soils, the rate of absorption becomes slow or even becomes zero.
3. Soil temperature:
Rate of absorption is high when the temperature of the soil is in the range of 20° to 30°C. Rise in soil temperature beyond 30°C results into decrease in the rate of absorption. Low soil temperature decreases absorption and at the freezing temperature, it may become zero.
4. The concentration of soil solution:
- Presence of a greater amount of dissolved minerals in the soil increases the concentration of soil solution and under this condition, water absorption is greatly reduced.
- Rate of water absorption is high when soil solution is very dilute i.e. the number of dissolved minerals is low.
- The rate of absorption is very low in saline soils.
