Soil moisture sensor

It’s time for a little feedback from the roots. With the new SMRT-Y Soil Moisture Sensor Kit from Rain Bird, an irrigation controller is directly linked to the absolute moisture requirements of a site’s vegetation. When the sensor detects dry conditions, the next scheduled watering cycle is allowed. If a site’s soil moisture level is above the threshold, the irrigation cycle is suspended. There are just two basic components: an in-ground sensor and a user interface at the controller.

Link copied! Soil Moisture: How To Measure & Monitor Its Level Soil moisture is the critical parameter in agriculture. If there is a shortage or overabundance of water, plants may die. At the same time, this data depends on many external factors, primarily weather conditions and climate changes. That is why it is so vital to understand the most effective methods for analyzing soil moisture content. Modern farmers have a wide range of options: in addition to traditional sensors, there is modern satellite technology. Let’s take a closer look at this topic. • • • • • Hide What Is Soil Moisture? This term refers to the entire quantity of water in the ground’s pores or on its surface. The moisture content of soil depends on such factors as weather, type of land, and plants. Why Is Soil Moisture Important For Agriculture The parameter is vital in monitoring farming activities, predicting natural disasters, managing water supply, etc. This data may signal a future flood or water deficit ahead of other indicators. Soil moisture affects: • content of air, salinity, and amount of toxic substances; • ground structure and thickness; • temperature and heat capacity of the ground. Also, this parameter prevents weathering and determines the field’s readiness for agricultural processing. Such possibilities demonstrate the importance of soil moisture measurement. Impact Of Soil Moisture On Plant Growth It reflects not only the water content in a particular zone but also the health of the f...

Soil Moisture Sensors Why measure soil moisture? Soil moisture plays a key role in the life of the plant. Nutrients in the soil solution provide the plant with the food it needs to grow. Water is also essential for regulating plant temperature through the process of transpiration. Plant root systems are better developed when growing in moist soil. Excessive levels of soil moisture, however, can lead to anaerobic conditions that can promote the growth of plant and soil pathogens. Welcome to Spectrum Technologies, Inc. Spectrum offers a full line of affordable measurement technology for soil compaction, soil moisture, nutrient levels, light, weather, and other factors directly affecting plant development. Our external sensors can record rainfall, leaf wetness hours, temperature and humidity fluctuations, and other weather events with our WatchDog data loggers, which ranges from stand-alone units to full weather stations. Comprehensive software allows users to graph data, run reports, create custom reports, export data to excel and import other weather data. Disease monitoring software is available for 17 disease models and 60 insect models. Over 15,000 customers count on Spectrum's easy to use, dependable technology.

Meet the HydraProbe®. A rugged soil sensor with patented technology to measure the three most significant soil parameters—moisture, electrical conductivity and temperature. The HydraProbe® is the most scientifically researched soil sensor available and is depended on by the USDA, NOAA, farmers, leading irrigation companies, and universities for over 25 years. It has been engineered to handle the terrain you want to measure and provides data you can trust year after year. HydraProbe® was originally developed by the physics department at Dartmouth College. It’s “dielectric impedance” measurement principle differs from TDR, capacitance, and frequency soil sensors by taking into account the energy storage and energy loss across the soil area using a 50 MHz radio frequency wave. Unlike other soil sensors, this unique, patented method separates the energy storage (real dielectric permittivity) from the energy losses (imaginary dielectric permittivity). Complex mathematical computations performed by an onboard microprocessor process the reflected signal measurements to accurately determine the soil’s dielectric permittivities—the key parameters behind the soil moisture and bulk EC measurement. The HydraProbe®’s detailed mathematical and signal characterization of the dielectric spectrum helps factor out errors in the soil moisture measurement such as temperature effects, errors due to salinity, and soil type. Low inner-sensor variability means there is no need for sensor-specific...