An electrically-weighed lysimeter using electrical resistance strain gauges has been developed to measure the daily and diurnal rates of evaporation of water from crop and/or soil surfaces. The lysimeter, with a plan area of 0.4 m 2, records changes of weight of the order of 20 g (equivalent to 0.05 mm depth of water) over a range of 20 kg in a total weight of 110 kg. Continuity of vegetation between the lysimeter and the surrounding area is facilitated by confining the weighing mechanism to the space directly beneath the container. The weighing device consists of a mechanical system that supports the soil container and offsets a pre-determined proportion of its weight, and an electrical system that registers changes in load as changes in electrical output. The changes in load are transmitted to the sensing elements of a load transducer consisting of two machined aluminum weighbars that become loaded as beams after filling the lysimeter with soil. Each weighbar has a simple cantilever at either end to which electrical resistance strain gauges are affixed. The strain gauges are wired into a Wheatstone bridge circuit and the output is registered on a digital voltmeter and/or potentiometric chart recorder. The output voltage changes by an amount that is proportional to the change in load. Fifteen of these load cell lysimeters have been installed in a vinery-type glasshouse.