what happens to water that infiltrates the soil if it is not absorbed by the roots of plants
runoff
title: Soil text: point, seeds will not germinate, plants begin to wilt and then die. Water moves in soil under the influence of gravity, osmosis and capillarity. When water enters the soil, it displaces air from interconnected macropores by buoyancy, and breaks aggregates into which air is entrapped, a process called slaking. The rate at which a soil can absorb water depends on the soil and its other conditions. As a plant grows, its roots remove water from the largest pores (macropores) first. Soon the larger pores hold only air, and the remaining water is found only in the intermediate- and smallest-sized pores title: Absorption of water text: Absorption of water The absorption of water by plants is essential for various metabolic activities. Terrestrial plants get their water supply from soil which serves as the source of water and [minerals]. The way in which water from soil enters roots, particularly to the root xylem, is called "mechanism of water absorption". Both active and passive absorption have been proposed for mechanism of water absorption.This process is known as Conduction Active absorption refers to the absorption of water by roots with the help of ATP, generated by the root respiration: as the root cells actively take part in the process, title: Absorption of water text: than the soil water.If stated, water potential is comparatively positive in the soil water. This gradient of water potential causes endosmosis. The endosmosis of water continues till the water potential both in the root and soil becomes equal. It is the absorption of minerals that utilise metabolic energy, but not water absorption. Hence, absorption of water is indirectly an active process in a plant's life.Active transport is in an opposite direction to that of diffusion. This theory was given by Thimann (1951) and Kramer (1959). According to the theory, sometimes water is absorbed against a concentration gradient. This requires expenditure title: Soil water (retention) text: Soil water (retention) Soils can process and hold considerable amount of water. They can take in water, and will keep doing so until they are full, or until the rate at which they can transmit water into and through the pores is exceeded. Some of this water will steadily drain through the soil (via gravity) and end up in the waterways and streams, but much of it will be retained, despite the influence of gravity. Much of this retained water can be used by plants and other organisms, thus contributing to land productivity and soil health. Pores (the spaces that title: Soil text: (micropores). The water in the smallest pores is so strongly held to particle surfaces that plant roots cannot pull it away. Consequently, not all soil water is available to plants, with a strong dependence on texture. When saturated, the soil may lose nutrients as the water drains. Water moves in a draining field under the influence of pressure where the soil is locally saturated and by capillarity pull to drier parts of the soil. Most plant water needs are supplied from the suction caused by evaporation from plant leaves (transpiration) and a lower fraction is supplied by suction created by