Predicting Available Water Content Using Pedotransfer Functions of Sandy Soils in Libya

Abstract

Sandy soils are of a wide occurrence under arid and semiarid regions. Most of Libyan soils are sandy soils.Twenty two soil samples were chosen from the western coastal strip of Libya representing a wide range variation of sand fractions were chosen for this study. Different chemical and physical properties were determined, including particle size distribution, bulk density, retention moisture characteristics and saturated hydraulic conductivity. Available water content was determined using moisture retention data. The available water content obtained were affected mainly by the percentage of silt + clay. These effect was decreased by increasing the diameter of the soil fractions. The empirical equation between the available water content and the silt + clay, can be used in water management practices of the sandy soils.