Irrigation Engineering Questions and Answers Part-10

1. Based on surface tension, what is the name of the part of field capacity water?
a) Hygroscopic Water
b) Gravity Water
c) Capillary Water
d) Residue Water

Answer: c
Explanation: Capillary water is that part of field capacity water, which is attached to the soil molecules by surface tension against the gravitational forces.

2. Based on loose chemical bonds, what is the name of the part of field capacity water?
a) Hygroscopic Water
b) Gravity Water
c) Capillary Water
d) Residue Water

Answer: a
Explanation: The water which is attached to the soil molecules due to the influence of their loose chemical bonds is called hygroscopic water. This is a part of field capacity water.

3. Capillary water is available to plants and hygroscopic water is not.
a) True
b) False

Answer: a
Explanation: The capillary water can be extracted by the plants by capillary action or capillarity. But, hygroscopic water cannot be extracted by the capillarity.

4. Determine the field capacity, when the unit weight of water is 9.8 KN/m3, and volume of water stored in unit area of soil is 28 m3, the dry unit weight of soil is 18 KN/m3, and the depth of root zone of the plant is 7 m.
a) 2.178 m2
b) 2.135 m2
c) 2.125 m2
d) 2.25 m2

Answer: a
Explanation: We have, field capacity (F) = (weight of water retained in unit area of soil / weight of same volume of dry soil)
Weight of water retained in unit area of soil = γw x volume of water stored in unit area
= 9.8 x 28
= 274.4 KN
Weight of same volume of dry soil = γd x d (where, γw = unit weight of water, γd = dry unit weight of soil)
= 18 x 7
= 126 KN/m2
Now field capacity (F) = (274.4 / 126)
= 2.178 m2.

5. Determine the volume of water stored in unit area if unit weight of water is 9.8 KN/m3, dry unit of soil is 17 KN/m3, field capacity (F) is 2.35 m2, and depth of root zone of the plant is 9 m.
a) 36.69 m3
b) 36 m3
c) 36.12 m3
d) 36.25m3

Answer: a
Explanation: We have field capacity (F) = (γw x volume of stored in unit area of soil / γd x d)
Therefore volume of stored water = (γd. d. F / γw)
= (17 x 9 x 2.35 / 9.8) (where, γw = unit weight of water, γd = dry unit weight of soil)
= 359.55 / 9.8
= 36.69 m3.

6. Up to which point plants can extract water?
a) Saturation Point
b) Permanent Wilting Point
c) Hydration Point
d) Dissolution Point

Answer: b
Explanation: At permanent wilting point plants can no longer extract sufficient water for its growth and wilts up. Plants are able to extract water from the soil till this point is reached. This is the point at which permanent wilting of plants take place.

7. What is the name of actual available water to the plants?
a) Available Moisture
b) Moisture
c) Capillary Water
d) Hygroscopic Water

Answer: a
Explanation: The amount water available to the plants is the difference between field capacity water and permanent wilting point water. This amount of water is known as Available moisture or maximum storage capacity of soil.

8. By what percentage of available moisture is easily extracted by plants?
a) 80 to 90%
b) 75 to 80%
c) 70 to 80%
d) 65 to 70%

Answer: b
Explanation: Readily available moisture is that part of available moisture which can be easily extracted by plants and of 75 to 80% of available moisture.

9. Which type of moisture is slightly less or most equal to field capacity?
a) Equivalent Moisture
b) Soil Moisture Deficiency
c) Available Moisture
d) Readily Available Moisture

Answer: a
Explanation: Equivalent moisture is similar to field capacity, in such a way that field capacity water is retained by saturated soil after gravity whereas equivalent moisture is retained by saturated soil after applying centrifugal force 1000 times more than the gravity and centrifuged for 30 minutes.

10. Which type of moisture acts as a bridge between soil moisture content and field capacity?
a) Equivalent Moisture
b) Soil Moisture Deficiency
c) Available Moisture
d) Readily Available Moisture

Answer: b
Explanation: Soil moisture deficiency is the water that is required to bring the soil moisture content of a given soil to its field capacity. It is also known as field moisture deficiency.