Saturated Zone - the top of the water table. Perched Water - water which saturates a zone above a confining layer, such as clay. Most herbicide labels use a simplified system for determining soil texture, generally calling it coarse, medium or fine. Acetochlor users who have coarse soil require a more precise determination of soil texture and organic matter. The determination of the amounts of sand, silt and clay present in soil is called a mechanical analysis or particle size analysis.
Analysis is performed by most soil labs.
A soil containing equal amounts of sand, silt and clay is clay loam. The following table lists the percentage of sand, silt and clay for each soil texture restriction. The soil survey contains information about soil classification and use. The soil classifications indicate the soil texture and organic matter levels. The aerial survey maps give specific field information on soil series.