Soil clay loam that begins at 43% water by weight to a field capacity of 22% is six days, whereas a sand loam that is flooded to its maximum of 22% water will take two days to reach field capacity of 11% water. The available water for the clay loam might be 11% whereas for the sand loam it might be only 8% by weight. The above are average values for the soil textures as the percentages of sand, silt and clay vary. Water moves through soil due to the force of gravity, osmosis and capillarity. At zero to one-third bar
Duplex soil is highly variable, with the top-soils ranging from coarse sand to clay loam and the subsoils from light to heavy clay. Some duplex soils are distinguished by the presence of an A2 bleached horizon, a character also used as a diagnostic key for the distinction between these type of soils. The diagnostic properties used by Northcote for the definition of duplex soils consider only the soil texture (texture contrast and type of boundary between horizons A and B) and the colour is used for their differentiation (i.e. brown, red and yellow duplex soils). Under the Australian Soil Classification they can