Moisture Retention of Cultivated and Pastured Mollisols and Alfisols

Abstract Comparison of surface soil moisture characteristic curves for Mollisols and Alfisols under pasture and row‐crop cultivation revealed that below ⅓ bar suctions cultivated Mollisols retained 40% more water and cultivated Alfisols retained 25% more than corresponding pastured soils. At tensions above ⅓ bar, cultivated soils of both orders held less water.