Estimation of soil texture and plant available water by correlation with the laser light-scattering method

Particle -size distribution and plant available water are basic input to studies of range, forest and cultivated land. Since the conventional laboratory procedures for determining these parameters are time consuming, an improved method for making these measurements is desirable. Weiss and Frock (1976) reported results from an instrument employing the principle of laser light scattering to measure particle -size distribution. The instrument was reported to be of high precision, and yielded reproducible results. The laser light- scattering instrument used in this study is the Microtrac Particle -size Analyzer Model 7991- 0, manufactured by Leeds and Northrup. The particle -size analysis range of this model is from 1.9 to 176 μm, which does not correspond to the entire fine earth fraction (< 2 mm) usually characterized by soil scientists. It is, therefore, desirable to develop predictive equations to estimate the soil texture of the fine earth fraction. We believe data from this instrument could be used to predict other soil properties. This paper reports on using Microtrac data to estimate the plant available water holding capacity and soil texture of Arizona soils. Two hundred and forty-seven Arizona soils were used in this study. Most of these soils (approximately 230 soils) are thermic or hyperthermic and arid or semiarid soils of dominantly mixed mineralogy, as described on the Arizona General Soils Map (Jay et al., 1975). An array of soil horizons are included, with approximately one half of the samples coming from the A or Ap surface horizons. The other half of the samples are from the subsurface B or C horizons