Unit 7

Chap. 3a - Mud Ball Technique for Field Capacity

Used to estimate the % water by weight at Field Capacity

  1. Add 1 rounded teaspoon of soil to a folded filter paper.
  2. Slowly add exactly 1 ml of water from a 1 ml pipette.
  3. Let each drop absorb before adding the next drop. Do not let filter paper get wet.
  4. Pour soil on filter paper through your fingers catching the moist ball (the mud ball) of soil. {short description of image}
  5. Weigh the moist ball of soil (mud ball)
  6. Since you added 1 gram of water (1 ml) the weight of the mud ball - 1=the weight of the oven dry soil.

Formula for Mud Ball

grams water (1 ) ÷ (grams dry soil) × 100=% water by weight

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Soil Water Chapters

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