ABSTRACT

Soil available water content is a vital index of assessing soil drought resistance and soil water holding capacity. Basic physical parameters (texture, particle size, bulk density and total porosity) and soil water characteristic curves of different soil layers which taken from overburden of an open pit mine in Xilinhot were measured. The results showed that the soil water holding capacity from high to low is L5 > L1 > L2 > L3 > L4. The present researches indicated that the soil available water, field capacity, permanent wilting point showed defined relation with clay and silt content, and this relation turned out that an increase volumetric water retention occurred with increasing of clay and silt and/or bulk density. In general, L5 had a good water holding capacity than others, and its thick soil layer make it suitable as the topsoil alternatives of soil profile reconstruction in land reclamation.