While plant available soil water graphs can help create a narrative for the progress of a crop and aid key in-season decision-making, other key factors also need to be considered for any given crop to arrive at an accurate picture. These include:
- soil status and characteristics including stored soil moisture, soil water-holding capacity and any barriers to infiltration
- stored nitrogen and other nutrient availabilities
- factors such as non-wetting, water-logging through topography or impermeable layers, leaching or dispersible clays in the soil