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Soil Moisture Sensors for Irrigation Management

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A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Remote Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 32625

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jaume Casadesús

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Guest Editor

Programe of Efficient Use of Water in Agriculture, the Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries (IRTA), 25003 Lleida, Spain
Interests: water use efficiency in agriculture; precision irrigation; digital agriculture; localized irrigation; Internet of Things; crop and soil modelling; remote sensing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Precision irrigation demands reliable and cost-effective monitoring of soil water. Different measurement principles exist in literature and in the market. Recently, the uptake of wireless networks and the Internet of Things have enhanced their usability in farms. However, applying soil moisture sensors to irrigation purposes is not trivial, since the practical requirements include low cost, low maintenance, high accuracy, and easy interpretation. Moreover, under certain irrigation methods, water is distributed heterogeneously in the soil, which makes sensor positioning and data interpretation more challenging. This Special Issue focuses on research and development in the application of soil moisture sensors to optimize irrigation management for agricultural and horticultural production. The scope includes but is not limited to the following topics:

- Characterization of soil moisture sensors;

- Usage of sensors for monitoring irrigated soils;

- Usage of sensors in growing media;

- Soil moisture sensor networks and IoT;

- Assimilation of soil sensor data with models;

- Approaches in sensor-controlled irrigation;

- Soil moisture sensors under challenging conditions (high salinity, soil compaction, etc.).

Dr. Saleh Taghvaeian
Dr. Jaume Casadesús
Guest Editors

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Keywords

Soil moisture
Irrigation management
Internet of Things
Precision irrigation

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1314 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Low-Cost Control and Measurement Circuit for the Implementation of Single Element Heat Dissipation Soil Water Matric Potential Sensor Based on a SnSe₂ Thermosensitive Resistor

by Flávio Morais, Pedro Carvalhaes-Dias, Yu Zhang, Andreu Cabot, Fábio S. Flosi, Luis Caparroz Duarte, Adelson Dos Santos and José A. Siqueira Dias

Sensors 2021, 21(4), 1490; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21041490 - 21 Feb 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2278

Abstract

A low-cost signal processing circuit developed to measure and drive a heat dissipation soil matric potential sensor based on a single thermosensitive resistor is demonstrated. The

{SnSe}_{2}

has a high thermal coefficient, from

- 2.4 Ω /^{°}

C in the 20 [...] Read more.

A low-cost signal processing circuit developed to measure and drive a heat dissipation soil matric potential sensor based on a single thermosensitive resistor is demonstrated. The

{SnSe}_{2}

has a high thermal coefficient, from

- 2.4 Ω /^{°}

C in the 20 to 25

^{°}

C to

- 1.07 Ω /^{°}

C in the 20 to 25

^{°}

C. The

{SnSe}_{2}

thermosensitive resistor is encapsulated with a porous gypsum block and is used as both the heating and temperature sensing element. To control the power dissipated on the thermosensitive resistor and keep it constant during the heat pulse, a mixed analogue/digital circuit is used. The developed control circuit is able to maintain the dissipated power at

327.98 \pm 0.3 %

mW when the resistor changes from

94.96 Ω

86.23 Ω

. When the gravimetric water content of the porous block changes from dry to saturated (

θ_{w} = 36.7 %

), we measured a variation of

4.77 Ω

in the thermosensitive resistor, which results in an end-point sensitivity of 130 m

Ω

/%. The developed system can easily meet the standard requirement of measuring the gravimetric soil water content with a resolution of approximately

Δ θ_{w} = 1 %

, since the resistance is measured with a resolution of approximately μ

31 μ Ω

, three orders of magnitude smaller than the sensitivity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Moisture Sensors for Irrigation Management)

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30 pages, 5670 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Variability in Soil Moisture Measurements by Capacitance Sensors in a Drip-Irrigated Orchard

by Jesús María Domínguez-Niño, Jordi Oliver-Manera, Gerard Arbat, Joan Girona and Jaume Casadesús

Sensors 2020, 20(18), 5100; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20185100 - 07 Sep 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4878

Abstract

Among the diverse techniques for monitoring soil moisture, capacitance-type soil moisture sensors are popular because of their low cost, low maintenance requirements, and acceptable performance. However, although in laboratory conditions the accuracy of these sensors is good, when installed in the field they tend to show large sensor-to-sensor differences, especially under drip irrigation. It makes difficult to decide in which positions the sensors are installed and the interpretation of the recorded data. The aim of this paper is to study the variability involved in the measurement of soil moisture by capacitance sensors in a drip-irrigated orchard and, using this information, find ways to optimize their usage to manage irrigation. For this purpose, the study examines the uncertainties in the measurement process plus the natural variability in the actual soil water dynamics. Measurements were collected by 57 sensors, located at 10 combinations of depth and position relative to the dripper. Our results showed large sensor-to-sensor differences, even when installed at equivalent depth and coordinates relative to the drippers. In contrast, differences among virtual sensors simulated using a HYDRUS-3D model at those soil locations were one order of magnitude smaller. Our results highlight, as a possible cause for the sensor-to-sensor differences in the measurements by capacitance sensors, the natural variability in size, shape, and centering of the wet area below the drippers, combined with the sharply defined variation in water content at the soil scale perceived by the sensors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Moisture Sensors for Irrigation Management)

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14 pages, 3857 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization of Low-Cost Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensors for IoT Networks

by Pisana Placidi, Laura Gasperini, Alessandro Grassi, Manuela Cecconi and Andrea Scorzoni

Sensors 2020, 20(12), 3585; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20123585 - 25 Jun 2020

Cited by 61 | Viewed by 13035

Abstract

The rapid development and wide application of the IoT (Internet of Things) has pushed toward the improvement of current practices in greenhouse technology and agriculture in general, through automation and informatization. The experimental and accurate determination of soil moisture is a matter of great importance in different scientific fields, such as agronomy, soil physics, geology, hydraulics, and soil mechanics. This paper focuses on the experimental characterization of a commercial low-cost “capacitive” coplanar soil moisture sensor that can be housed in distributed nodes for IoT applications. It is shown that at least for a well-defined type of soil with a constant solid matter to volume ratio, this type of capacitive sensor yields a reliable relationship between output voltage and gravimetric water content. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Moisture Sensors for Irrigation Management)

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23 pages, 6611 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Automatic Irrigation Scheduling on a Hedgerow Olive Orchard Using an Algorithm of Water Balance Readjusted with Soil Moisture Sensors

by Sandra Millán, Carlos Campillo, Jaume Casadesús, Juan Manuel Pérez-Rodríguez and Maria Henar Prieto

Sensors 2020, 20(9), 2526; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20092526 - 29 Apr 2020

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4503

Abstract

Recent technological advances have made possible automated irrigation scheduling using decision-support tools. These tools help farmers to make better decisions in the management of their irrigation system, thus increasing yields while preserving water resources. The aim of this study is to evaluate in a commercial plot an automated irrigation system combined with remote-sensing techniques and soil mapping that allows the establishment of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) strategies. The study was carried out over 3 years (2015–2017) in a commercial hedgerow olive orchard of the variety ‘Arbequina’ located in Alvarado (Extremadura, Spain). An apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) map and a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) map were generated to characterize the spatial variability of the plot and classify the zones in homogeneous areas. Then, reference points were selected to monitor the different irrigation sectors. In 2015, the plot was irrigated according to the farmer’s technical criteria throughout the plot. In 2016 and 2017, two different areas of the plot were irrigated applying an RDI strategy, one under expert supervision and the other automatically. The results show that in a heterogeneous plot the use of new technologies can be useful to establish the ideal location for an automatic irrigation system. Furthermore, automatic irrigation scheduling made it possible to establish an RDI strategy recommended by an expert, resulting in the homogenization of production throughout the plot without the need for human intervention. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Moisture Sensors for Irrigation Management)

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11 pages, 1604 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Irrigation Scheduling Based on Wireless Sensors Output and Soil-Water Characteristic Curve in Two Soils

by J.D. Jabro, W.B. Stevens, W.M. Iversen, B.L. Allen and U.M. Sainju

Sensors 2020, 20(5), 1336; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20051336 - 29 Feb 2020

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 5286

Abstract

Data-driven irrigation planning can optimize crop yield and reduce adverse impacts on surface and ground water quality. We evaluated an irrigation scheduling strategy based on soil matric potentials recorded by wireless Watermark (WM) sensors installed in sandy loam and clay loam soils and soil-water characteristic curve data. Five wireless WM nodes (IRROmesh) were installed at each location, where each node consisted of three WM sensors that were installed at 15, 30, and 60 cm depths in the crop rows. Soil moisture contents, at field capacity and permanent wilting points, were determined from soil-water characteristic curves and were approximately 23% and 11% for a sandy loam, and 35% and 17% for a clay loam, respectively. The field capacity level which occurs shortly after an irrigation event was considered the upper point of soil moisture content, and the lower point was the maximum soil water depletion level at 50% of plant available water capacity in the root zone, depending on crop type, root depth, growth stage and soil type. The lower thresholds of soil moisture content to trigger an irrigation event were 17% and 26% in the sandy loam and clay loam soils, respectively. The corresponding soil water potential readings from the WM sensors to initiate irrigation events were approximately 60 kPa and 105 kPa for sandy loam, and clay loam soils, respectively. Watermark sensors can be successfully used for irrigation scheduling by simply setting two levels of moisture content using soil-water characteristic curve data. Further, the wireless system can help farmers and irrigators monitor real-time moisture content in the soil root zone of their crops and determine irrigation scheduling remotely without time consuming, manual data logging and frequent visits to the field. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Moisture Sensors for Irrigation Management)

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