Available Water Holding Capacity Image Gallery

Available Water Capacity (AWC) refers to the volume of water that soil can store and make accessible for plant uptake, occurring between field capacity (~ -10 kPa) and the wilting point (~ -1,500 kPa). It is measured in cm H₂O per cm of soil and is influenced by factors like organic matter, texture, bulk density, soil structure, salinity, and rock fragment content.

Applied Relevance

AWC is essential in determining appropriate crop choices and designing efficient irrigation systems. Though it doesn’t represent real-time moisture levels, it informs long-term water planning. Available Water Supply (AWS) is calculated by multiplying AWC by the soil depth (e.g., 0.15 cm/cm × 25 cm = 3.75 cm of water), making it a key input in agricultural water budgeting.

Available Depths

This dataset includes AWC values for a range of depth intervals, such as:
0–5 cm, 5–20 cm, 0–20 cm, 0–30 cm, 0–50 cm, 0–100 cm, 0–150 cm, and 0–200 cm.