— Trellis
DASHBOARD
3 TYPES OF SOIL
MOISTURE SENSORS -
WHICH IS BEST FOR
YOU?
December 11, 2017
by Elizabeth Buchen
5 minute read
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In this day and age, technology plays an integral role in many aspects of our
lives. While it seems agriculture would be exempt from that — for it’s just
putting seeds in the ground and growing plants — this is far from the case.
Farming is not simple. As the population grows at an exponential rate it creates
really dynamic problems in terms of feeding people. More people means more
food needs to be produced. But more people also means more homes will be
built and more water will be consumed, taking away valuable land and water
resources needed for food production. In order to feed this growing population
with fewer resources, the agricultural industry has to rely on technological
improvements. Advancements such as genetic engineering, GPS technology,
herbicide tolerance, aerial imagery, robots, soil sensors, and precision
Currently there are more than 55 million acres of cropland irrigated in the
United States. Growers rely heavily on their irrigation systems to provide the
right amount of water to their crops at the proper time. Drought stress on
plants can easily and quickly reduce yields. Because of technology, soil moisture
sensors can provide growers a detailed, comprehensive picture of their
irrigation systems. Watching sensor readings allows them to turn on water
when the moisture levels drop below a certain threshold, and then shut it off
when eld capacity is reached. In turn growers are only applying water when
needed, reducing over application of water. This becomes both a nancial and
environmental win. They aren’t wasting water and money, nor are they leaching
nutrients and chemical pesticides into groundwater. Using soil moisture
sensors decreases input management costs while maximizing yields and pro t.
There are three main types of soil moisture sensors, each differing in how they
take eld measurements and determine soil moisture levels. Each type has their
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own set of pros and cons, lling speci c needs in the market.
Volumetric sensors
Volumetric soil moisture sensors directly measure the amount of water in the
soil. This category has the most sensor types: neutron moisture probes, heat
dissipation sensors, and the common, di-electric sensors. The di-electric
sensors measure the di-electric constant of the soil, an electrical property
dependent on soil moisture content, and can be purchased in 3 variations: Time
Domain Refractometry (TDR) sensors, Time Domain Transmissiometry (TDT)
sensors, and capacitance or Frequency Domain Refractometry (FDR) sensors.
Due to the technology used, volumetric sensors are the most expensive soil
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commonly used in research settings and in high-value crops where speed and
accuracy justify the higher equipment cost.
Tensiometers
Soil particles hold water through either tension or adhesion. Tensiometers are
soil moisture sensors that measure this tension between soil particles and
water molecules. In order for plants to access this water they must overcome
the tension to draw water molecules away from the soil particles and into their
roots. The soil matric potential or soil moisture tension reading tells how hard
the plant must work to extract water. A tensiometer is a vertical, water- lled
tube with a porous tip that is inserted into the soil at recommended depths; the
soil draws water out of the porous tip of the sealed tube, creating a vacuum.
Drier soils create a stronger vacuum since water molecules are harder to pull
off soil particles.
The most inexpensive option for measuring soil moisture content is solid state
sensors which cost about $35–60 per sensor unit1. Common types of solid
state soil moisture sensors are gypsum blocks and granular matrix sensors.
They work by using two electrodes to measure the electrical resistance in the
soil. More water in the soil will reduce electrical resistance because the
electrical current can pass through the water easier; less water will increase
the resistance. After the electrical resistance is measured the water tension is
calculated to determine the plant available soil moisture. In gypsum blocks the
electrodes are embedded in a porous block of gypsum that has to maintain
contact with soil. Granular matrix sensors have a granular matrix inside a metal
case. The electrical sensors are embedded in the granular matrix above a
gypsum wafer.
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C O N TAC T U S
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