Respected Sir,

Rk Naresh

The amount of water soil can absorb depends on its texture, structure, and other factors. Generally:

Water Absorption:

Clay Soil: Can absorb and retain a significant amount of water due to its small particles and high surface area.

Silt Soil: Has moderate water absorption capacity.

Sand Soil: Absorbs water but has a lower capacity compared to clay.

Relationship between Soil Texture and Structure:

Clay Soil: Tends to have a compact structure, leading to reduced permeability and slower drainage.

Silt Soil: Varies in structure but may have moderate permeability.

Sand Soil: Often has well-draining and loose structure.

Consistency and Structure:

Soil Consistency: Refers to the state of cohesion and resistance to deformation.

Clay Soil: Can exhibit high consistency, forming a sticky and plastic texture when wet, and hard and cloddy when dry.

Silt Soil: Can vary in consistency depending on moisture content.

Sand Soil: Typically has lower consistency, feeling gritty and less cohesive.

In summary, soil texture influences water absorption, while soil structure and consistency are interconnected. Clay soils tend to have high water absorption but may have compact structures and high consistency when wet. Sand soils have lower water-holding capacity but often have well-draining structures with lower consistency. Silt soils fall in between, showing variability based on specific conditions.

Dear Dr Himanshu Tiwari thank you for your contribution to the discussion

Water moves by gravity into the open pore spaces in the soil, and the size of the soil particles and their spacing determines how much water can flow in. Wide pore spacing at the soil surface increases the rate of water infiltration, so coarse soils have a higher infiltration rate than fine soils. Amount of water a given soil can store, primarily influenced by the soil texture and the soil organic matter content. In general, soils with greater silt and clay-sized particles have greater water- holding capacities. Likewise, soils with more organic matter have greater water-holding capacities. Texture and consistency of the soil have a direct relationship. Texture is the ratio of sand, silt, and clay in the soil; whereas, consistency is the degree to which soil resists pressure. The texture determines the consistency of the soil.Structure can be modified by cultivation and tillage operations while texture is an inherent property of soil and cannot be modified within short period of time. Texture and consistency of the soil have a direct relationship. Texture is the ratio of sand, silt, and clay in the soil; whereas, consistency is the degree to which soil resists pressure. The texture determines the consistency of the soil. Soil texture and soil structure are two important properties of soil. The key difference between soil texture and soil structure is that soil texture describes the feel or shape of the soil, whereas soil structure describes the cohesive whole built up of distinct parts. Sand, silt, clay, and organic-matter particles in a soil combine with one another to form larger particles of various shapes and sizes. These larger particles, or clusters, are often referred to as aggregates. The arrangement of the soil particles into aggregates of various sizes and shapes is soil structure. Various factors like climate change, presence of organic matter, tillage and fertilization, type of vegetation and landscape, plants, roots and residues, soil organisms, adsorbed cations etc. can affect soil structural stability.