Digital ACT Science Practice Question #1865

A farmer seeking to protect drought-sensitive crops while maintaining adequate drainage would benefit from amending sandy soil with organic matter because: Experiment Context (Soil Water Retention vs Humus Content): Soil scientists amended sandy soil with decomposed organic humus at various mass percentages and measured available water-holding capacity (AWC, in mm of water per 100 mm soil): Table 37: - 0% Organic Matter: AWC = 8.5 mm; Infiltration Rate = 45 mm/hr - 2% Organic Matter: AWC = 14.2 mm; Infiltration Rate = 38 mm/hr - 4% Organic Matter: AWC = 21.0 mm; Infiltration Rate = 32 mm/hr - 6% Organic Matter: AWC = 27.5 mm; Infiltration Rate = 28 mm/hr - 8% Organic Matter: AWC = 33.8 mm; Infiltration Rate = 25 mm/hr