Abstract
The efficient use of irrigation water requires several kinds of information. One element of efficient irrigation scheduling is monitoring the soil moisture to assure that the crop irrigation goals are being met. Various soil moisture sensing devices were tested for irrigation scheduling in silt loam at the Malheur Agricultural Experiment Station, Oregon State University between 2001 and 2004. Neutron probes, frequency domain probes, tensiometers, granular matrix sensors, and Irrigas were compared as to their performance under field conditions at Ontario, Oregon, USA. Granular matrix sensors were tested as read automatically by a datalogger and read manually with a hand-held meter. Practical suggestions are provided to use soil moisture sensors to the benefit of crop production and water conservation.
Highlights
Soil moisture monitoring is a well established method to govern irrigation scheduling [1]
Irrigation scheduling is greatly facilitated by any soil moisture sensor which can provide timely and reliable information on soil water content or soil water potential
For a particular sensor to be useful for a particular crop and soil, it needs to respond rapidly and reliably to the range of variation of soil water status that is important for marketable yield and product quality
Summary
Soil moisture monitoring is a well established method to govern irrigation scheduling [1]. Irrigation that precisely matches crop soil water requirements can avoid unnecessary water losses and can optimize yield and quality [4]-[7]. Precise irrigation scheduling is necessary to optimize marketable yield of high value crops while conserving water and protecting surface water and groundwater quality. For a particular sensor to be useful for a particular crop and soil, it needs to respond rapidly and reliably to the range of variation of soil water status that is important for marketable yield and product quality. Neutron probes [8], frequency domain sensors [9] [10], tensiometers [11], and granular matrix sensors [12] have been widely used for irrigation scheduling. Sensors were tested that utilize air permeability of porous ceramics
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