Abstract
Soil matric potential is an important parameter for agricultural and environmental research and applications. In this study, we developed a novel sensor to determine fast and in-situ the soil matric potential. The probe of the soil matric potential sensor comprises a perforated coaxial stainless steel cylinder filled with a porous material (gypsum). With a pre-determined gypsum water retention curve, the probe can determine the gypsum matric potential through measuring its water content. The matric potential of soil surrounding the probe is inferred by the reading of the sensor after the soil reaches a hydraulic equilibrium with the gypsum. The sensor was calibrated by determining the gypsum water retention curve using a pressure plate method and tested in three soil samples with different textures. The results showed that the novel sensor can determine the water retention curves of the three soil samples from saturated to dry when combined with a soil water content sensor. The novel sensor can respond fast to the changes of the soil matric potential due to its small volume. Future research could explore the application for agriculture field crop irrigation.
Highlights
The soil matric potential is one of the most important parameters in soil science and closely relates to soil water content (θ, cm3 cm−3 )
Rather than using the principle of time domain reflectometry (TDR) to measure dielectric permittivity of porous material by measuring the travel time, the objective of this study is to develop a novel sensor which is based on the frequency-domain method for soil matric potential measurement
The novel sensor was used in the pressure plate apparatus and it took several days for us to be certain that the output had reached an equilibrium value at each pressure
Summary
The soil matric potential is one of the most important parameters in soil science and closely relates to soil water content (θ, cm cm−3 ). The soil matric potential is crucial for studying various soil hydrological processes, such as water availability for plants, evapotranspiration, and modeling water and gas flow in partially saturated soil [1]. It is applied in many soil studies such as strength and deformation assessment of unsaturated soil and evaluating the physical behavior of different soil water contents [2,3,4]. A pressure plate apparatus is a widespread method used to measure the soil matric potential. It is difficult and inefficient to determinate the soil water matric potential in-situ [5,6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
