Karshika Keralam – A site for Agricultural Enthusiasts
Pore space is that part of the bulk volume that is not occupied by either mineral or organic matter but is open space occupied by either air or water. Ideally, the total pore space should be 50% of the soil volume. The air space is needed to supply oxygen to organisms decomposing organic matter, humus, and plant roots. Pore space also allows the movement and storage of water and dissolved nutrients.
There are four categories of pores:
- Very fine pores: < 2 microns
- Fine pores: 2-20 microns
- Medium pores: 20-200 microns
- Coarse pores: 200 microns-0.2 mm
In comparison, root hairs are 8 to 12 microns in diameter. When pore space is less than 30 microns, the forces of attraction that hold water in place are greater than those acting to drain the water. At that point, soil becomes water-logged and it cannot breathe. For a growing plant, pore size is of greater importance than total pore space. A medium-textured loam provides the ideal balance of pore sizes. Having large pore spaces that allow rapid air and water movement is superior to smaller pore space but has a greater percentage pore space. Tillage has the short-term benefit of temporarily increasing the number of pores of largest size, but in the end those will be degraded by the destruction of soil aggregation.