Thermodynamic concept of water retention and physical quality of the soil

The physical quality of the soil is determined by its interfacial interactions in conditions of variable water content. In this regard, water retention characteristics in the form of functions of water content and its thermodynamic potentials are used as indicators of physical quality and its dynamics in the soil. The combination of centrifugation and thermodesorption methods allowed for the first time the assessment of soil water potentials in the entire range of variation from 0 to 106 J/kg for a representative database (more than 400 samples) of the main genetic types of Eurasian soils, grouped into 5 FAO/USDA soil texture classes. The main fundamental achievement of the research is a physically based diagnosis of the critical values of water content and its thermodynamic potentials that separate the areas of dominance of various forms of soil water, physical forces, and mechanisms of interfacial interactions on the WRC-diagrams of the physical quality of the soil. Theoretical and experimental results of the study are of practical interest of sustainable agronomy for determining the optimal ranges of water content in the soil during plant cultivation, water saving, and salt protection in irrigation, mechanical tillage, and other technological operations. © 2021 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.