Explanation

Mineral matter in the soil are responsible for holding the water present in the soil. They are of following 5 types according to their size in ascending order clay, slit, fine sand, coarse sand and gravel. Clay having mineral salt, is more active chemically and shows higher capacity to retain water and ions. A loam soil is made up of ratio 1:2:2 of clay, slit and sand respectively. While sandy soil has little clay matter and shows least retaining capacity and is not fit for plant growth