Pedotransfer Functions for Predicting Three Points on the Moisture Characteristic Curve of a Zimbabwean Soil

The moisture content of 41 soil samples taken from 14 locations in the Romwe catchment in Zimbabwe was measured at three matric potentials (-1430, -270 and -60 kPa) in a pressure chamber. Single and multiple linear regression analyses identified the relationships between soil moisture and the clay, silt, sand and organic matter content of the soils and their bulk density. The moisture content at the three suctions was significantly related to clay, sand and organic matter. At each of the three matric potentials, six sets of regression equations were used to predict the moisture content from the composition and bulk density of the soil. The predictions were improved by increasing the number of parameters used in the models.