What term describes the maximum amount of water a soil can hold without losing its structure?

The term that describes the maximum amount of water a soil can hold without losing its structure is the saturation point. At saturation, all the pore spaces in the soil are filled with water, indicating that no air is present in those spaces. This state is significant because it marks the threshold where any additional water would lead to waterlogging situations, which can negatively affect plant growth and soil integrity.

Field capacity, on the other hand, refers to the amount of water soil can retain after excess water has drained away. It is the level of moisture content at which the soil is still able to support plant life without saturation. The wilting point is the moisture level where plants can no longer extract water, thus leading to wilting. Porosity relates to the volume of soil that is made up of pore spaces, but it does not directly define the maximum water holding capacity in the context of structural integrity. Therefore, the saturation point is the correct understanding of the condition where soil is fully saturated without structural compromise.