**Section 3 Landscape Water 75**

Chapter 5 **Water Replenishment in Agricultural Soils: Dissemination of the IrrigaPot Technology 77** Lucieta G. Martorano, Araya A. Berhe, José Reinaldo da Silva Cabral de Moraes, Ayllan Rayanne da Silva Lima, Douglas Cavalcante Costa, Aline Michelle da Silva Barbosa and Marcelo Coelho Marques Chapter 6 **The Humidity of the Volcanic Soils and Their Impact on the Processes of Mass Removal in Colombia 89** William Chavarriaga Montoya

Preface

Soil moisture has been the main research subject of soil physics, and chemical and biological properties. In addition to the major role it plays in the agricultural system, soil moisture has been one of the primary tests often done in research and production studies that provides important contributions to our knowledge of soil biogeochemistry, microorganisms activity, organic matter content and crop yield. For example, soil genesis and development were de‐ rived from pedological processes that only occur if soil has adequate water content. Nowa‐ days, the use of soil moisture for research purposes is increasing, and the variety of tests performed on water content are also diversifying each day. It is clear that soil moisture will continue to serve as experimental and food production material in the most important areas of agricultural science in the near future. This is because the water found and used by hu‐ mans is in groundwater bodies. These water bodies are replenished by drainage through the soil, and then the rate of groundwater recharge is greatest when rainfall inputs to the soil exceed evapotranspiration losses. Knowledge of the recharge features of catchments is indis‐ pensable to water supply management, planning, flood prediction and floodplain regula‐ tion. Even though it is not possible to follow the increasing body of knowledge in this area, this book aims to provide the reader with a wide-ranging summary of the diverse types of studies in which soil moisture is the focal research object, increasing information and under‐ standing of the current knowledge that have been utilized in the area of soil water content.

**Dr. Gabriela Civeira**

Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria

Villa Udaondo, Hurlingham, Argentina
