Plants use only what kind of water in the soil?

Plants primarily utilize capillary water in the soil for their growth and development. Capillary water refers to the water that is held in the soil's micropores and is available for plant roots to absorb. This type of water remains accessible to plants due to the tension created by soil particles, allowing roots to extract moisture effectively.

Understanding the importance of capillary water is crucial; it is the key resource that supports plant physiological processes such as photosynthesis and nutrient uptake. While groundwater, surface water, and rainwater are significant in the overall hydrological cycle, not all of this water is readily available to plants. Groundwater may be too deep for roots to reach, surface water may evaporate quickly, and rainwater often needs to infiltrate the soil to become usable. Therefore, capillary water is the primary source that directly feeds plants from the soil.