Significance of soil moisture in crop production

• Supplies sufficient water to meet evapotranspiration need of plants.
• Serves as solvent and makes soil solution.
• Controls soil aeration, heat movement and soil temperature.
• Degree of soil saturation of the field influences the availability of the essential plant nutrient
• Influences infiltration and runoff water in and through soils that affects soil erosion
• seed germination
• incidence of most of the insect, pests and diseases
• ecological functions
• Irrigation and drainage requirement