<P> Water content or moisture content is the quantity of water contained in a material, such as soil (called soil moisture), rock, ceramics, crops, or wood . Water content is used in a wide range of scientific and technical areas, and is expressed as a ratio, which can range from 0 (completely dry) to the value of the materials' porosity at saturation . It can be given on a volumetric or mass (gravimetric) basis . </P> <P> Volumetric water content, θ, is defined mathematically as: </P>

Total water content of the soil is known as