<![CDATA[Soil, water, and plants are interrelated elements in agricultural production. An in-depth understanding of the characteristics and interactions of these three aspects is essential in effective agricultural system management. The study aims to examine the relationship of soil capacity to hold water to different levels of land slope and identify the physical characteristics of the soil that affect it. The research was conducted in a community oil palm plantation in Talang Tengah I Village, Pondok Kubang District, Central Bengkulu Regency, Bengkulu Province. The method used was a survey with purposive sampling at five different slope levels, namely flat (0-8%), sloping (8-15%), slightly steep (15-25%), steep (25-45%), and very steep (45-100%). The data was statistically analyzed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) method with WarpPLS 7.0 software. The results showed that slope had a significant effect on various soil physical characteristics and soil water holding capacity. The steeper the slope, there is a decrease in soil permeability, total pore space, and C-Organic soil, and an increase in soil volume weight, which results in a decrease in soil water holding capacity. The resulting model shows the agreement in describing the relationship between variables, where slope affects organic matter, sand %, and permeability, and then volume weight affects total pore space and permeability, which in turn effects the soil’s capacity to hold water.]]>
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