2.8 Soil moisture 2.8.1 General Comment. The porous structure of the soils (e.g. the space between the solid soil particles) allow the storage of water which can be used either for evaporation or for transpiration by plants. Quantitative assessments of the stored water or soil moisture are therefore important requirements for agricultural and hydrological studies. The amount of water that can be stored depends on the volume of the "pore space, but however, this will not be fully available for plants because of absorptive and capillary forces exerted by the soil on the water. Thus, both physical and chemical soil properties have an important influence on the soil moisture characteristics which determine the soil-water-plant relationship. 2.8.11 Soil-water-Plant relationships (Definitions) 2.8.111 Soil moisture content
