Multisensor Capacitance Probes Research Articles

Performance of a Multi-Sensor Capacitance Probe in Estimating Soil Water Content and Field Capacity

Highlights Among six manufacturer calibrations, the default calibration resulted in the largest errors. Sensor performance was negatively affected by higher clay content and salinity. Sensor-based approaches to estimating field capacity were inconsistent and spatially variable. Abstract. Maintaining the economic and environmental sustainability of crop production requires optimizing irrigation management using advanced technologies such as soil water sensors. In this study, the performance of a commercially available multi-sensor capacitance probe was evaluated under irrigated field conditions across western Oklahoma. The effects of clay content and salinity on sensor performance were investigated too. In addition, the field capacity (FC) of soil cores collected at study sites was determined in the laboratory. These laboratory FC values were used to assess the performance of two sensor-based approaches for estimating FC: the days to reach laboratory FC after major watering events and the percentile of collected sensor readings that represented laboratory FC. The results showed that among the six calibrations provided by the manufacturer, the default and silty clay loam calibrations produced the largest and smallest soil water content errors, respectively. Errors generally increased with clay and salinity, except for the heavy clay calibration, which showed improved performance with increasing clay content. The default and sand calibrations were more sensitive to increases in clay and salinity compared to other calibrations. In the case of sensor-based FC, on average, one to three days were required to reach laboratory FC, with a large range of one to nine days. The percentiles representing laboratory FC had an average of 56% and a range of 3%-97%. Overall, the sensor-based approaches produced inconsistent and highly variable estimates of FC. Keywords: Calibrations, Clay content, Irrigation scheduling, Salinity, Sensor accuracy, Soil water threshold.

The Impact of Feedlot Manure Application on Hydrology, Soil Carbon, and Nutrient Loss

ABSTRACT Feedlot manure is a potentially valuable resource to provide plant nutrients and improve soil. A field experiment was undertaken with the objective of determining the effect of feedlot manure applications on hydrology, and nutrient loss. The five treatments imposed over a three-year period were no manure or inorganic fertiliser (NM), a moderate annual manure application + N (MAN), a high initial application + N in year 1 (HIN) and an inorganic fertilizer treatment (I) applied in each year. Relay crops of sorghum (Sorghum vulgare) and triticale (Triticosecale spp. cv. Madonna) were grown throughout the 3 years. EnviroCSAN multisensor capacitance probes were used for soil water measurement. Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity was measured in-situ using an automatic recording disc permeameter. Steady-state infiltration was determined at two tensions (40 and 10 mm). Soil moisture was consistently higher on the HIN treatment despite higher crop production. Surface runoff was highest in the NM treatment. At the end of 3 years, infiltration rate was highest in the I and M treatments. Highest losses of N occurred in the I and highest K loss in in M. Runoff P concentration exceeded an acceptable concentration in more than 86% of runoff events. Incorporation of feedlot manure into soil with minimum disturbance, coupled with relay cropping can have substantial benefits for both nutrient cycling and hydrology.

Estimating moisture content and hydraulic properties of unsaturated sandy soils of Tiber River (Central Italy): integrating data from calibrated PR2/6 probe and hydraulic property estimator

The correct estimation of soil moisture data is essential in soil-water management and estimating the hydraulic properties of unsaturated soils. The increased use of Multi-Sensor Capacitance Probes (MCAPs) requires careful calibration. Without accurate calibration, the use of MCAPs leads to incorrect water content estimation, making them of no practical use. This work presents the specific calibration equations for the correct use of the PR2/6 profile probe on sands of different nature. As the iron oxides content of the Tiber River basin sands increases, the calibration lines slope increases, allowing the understanding of the different electromagnetic responses. As for other sands worldwide, sands with high iron oxides content show a relative high specific surface than quartz or calcareous sands, responsible for more adhesive water (e.g., high permittivity values). The water content data are integrated with a hydraulic property estimator allowing the estimation of the hydraulic conductivity of soils. Applying the manufacturer equation of the PR2/6 profile probe instead of the specific equation leads to an overestimation of the hydraulic conductivity values up to two orders of magnitude, making therefore rather incorrect the understanding of the phenomena occurring in the unsaturated zone.

Multisensor Capacitance Probes for Simultaneously Monitoring Rice Field Soil-Water- Crop-Ambient Conditions.

Multisensor capacitance probes (MCPs) have traditionally been used for soil moisture monitoring and irrigation scheduling. This paper presents a new application of these probes, namely the simultaneous monitoring of ponded water level, soil moisture, and temperature profile, conditions which are particularly important for rice crops in temperate growing regions and for rice grown with prolonged periods of drying. WiFi-based loggers are used to concurrently collect the data from the MCPs and ultrasonic distance sensors (giving an independent reading of water depth). Models are fit to MCP water depth vs volumetric water content (VWC) characteristics from laboratory measurements, variability from probe-to-probe is assessed, and the methodology is verified using measurements from a rice field throughout a growing season. The root-mean-squared error of the water depth calculated from MCP VWC over the rice growing season was 6.6 mm. MCPs are used to simultaneously monitor ponded water depth, soil moisture content when ponded water is drained, and temperatures in root, water, crop and ambient zones. The insulation effect of ponded water against cold-temperature effects is demonstrated with low and high water levels. The developed approach offers advantages in gaining the full soil-plant-atmosphere continuum in a single robust sensor.

Evaluating soil water content data monitored at different locations in a vineyard with regard to irrigation control

Knowledge on the water content of a certain soil profile and its temporal changes due to rainfall and plant water uptake is a key issue for irrigation management. In this regard, sensors can be utilized to monitor soil water content (SWC). Due to the characteristic spatial variability of SWC, a key question is whether the measurements are representative and reliable. This study focused on the assessment of SWC and its variability in a vineyard with subsurface drip irrigation. SWC was measured in profiles down to a 50 cm depth by means of multi-sensor capacitance probes. The probes were installed at six locations along vine rows. A temporal stability analysis was performed to evaluate the representativeness and reliability of each monitoring profile with regard to irrigation control. Mean SWC was within a plausible range compared to unsaturated hydraulic parameters determined in a laboratory. The measurements revealed a considerable variability, but standard deviations were comparable to values from literature. The main finding was that some monitoring profiles (probes) proved to be more suitable to monitor SWC with respect to irrigation control than the others. Considering temporal stability provided helpful insights into the spatio-temporal variability of SWC measurements. However, not all questions that are related to the concept of temporal stability could be answered based on the given dataset.

Density-dependent calibration of multisensor capacitance probes in coarse soil

Zettl, J. D., Huang, M., Barbour, S. L. and Si, B. C. 2015. Density-dependent calibration of multisensor capacitance probes in coarse soil. Can. J. Soil Sci. 95: 331–336. Coarse-textured reconstructed soils are utilized extensively in the reclamation of mining waste. Accurate and continuous sensing of soil water content is required to understand soil water dynamics and evaluate the hydraulic characteristics of these soils. The EnviroSCAN (Sentek Pty. Ltd, Australia) is a semi-permanent multisensor capacitance probe (MCP) capable of continuous measurement of volumetric water content (θv) and has been used to monitor reclamation soil cover performance. Calibration of these probes is required to improve the accuracy of field measurements. In this study, field and laboratory measurements were undertaken over a range of water contents and bulk densities to refine the relationship between θvand scaled frequency (SF) measured by the MCP. The manufacturer's calibration equation tended to underestimate θvunder wet conditions (θv>0.35 cm3cm–3). Our experimental data showed that bulk density (ρb) did affect the MCP calibration and consequently a new calibration equation that includes the effect of ρbis developed using laboratory measurements and validated using field measurements. This equation provided the highest degree of correlation and the smallest standard deviation of prediction to measured values of θvfor laboratory and field measurements, respectively. This calibration improves the application of the EnviroSCAN for coarse-textured soils such as those utilized in this study.

SOIL MOISTURE SPACE-TIME ANALYSIS TO SUPPORT IMPROVED CROP MANAGEMENT

The knowledge of the water content in the soil profile is essential for an efficient management of crop growth and development. This work aimed to use geostatistical techniques in a spatio-temporal study of soil moisture in an Oxisol in order to provide that information for improved crop management. Data were collected in a coffee crop area at São Roque de Minas, in the upper São Francisco River basin, MG state, Brazil. The soil moisture was measured with a multi-sensor capacitance (MCP) probe at 10-, 20-, 30-, 40-, 60- and 100-cm depths between March and December, 2010. After adjusting the spherical semivariogram model using ordinary least squares, best model, the values were interpolated by kriging in order to have a continuous surface relating depth x time (CSDT) and the soil water availability to plant (SWAP). The results allowed additional insight on the dynamics of soil water and its availability to plant, and pointed to the effects of climate on the soil water content. These results also allowed identifying when and where there was greater water consumption by the plants, and the soil layers where water was available and potentially explored by the plant root system.

Soil moisture in the root zone and its relation to plant vigor assessed by remote sensing at management scale

Vegetation index derived from satellite data can be indirectly utilized for obtaining information on moisture in the soil root zone in cropped areas, considering that the soil profile moisture in many regions of the world is the main factor controlling plant vigor. In this context, the aims of this work were: (i) to verify the relationship between moisture in the soil profile (until 100-cm depth) and the vigor of the plant, as measured by Vegetation Index EVI-2, (ii) to identify which is the plant vigor response time delay for soil moisture at different depths of the profile, (iii) to propose linear equations for estimating soil moisture by EVI-2, and (iv) to test the hypothesis that is possible to identify, with the aid of the EVI-2, which soil depth can be considered the effective depth of water absorption by plants. Data were collected in a coffee crop area at São Roque de Minas, Upper São Francisco River basin, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The soil moisture was measured with a multi-sensor capacitance (MCP) probe, from March to December, 2010, and the coffee plant vigor was evaluated by Vegetation Index EVI-2. It was verified a correlation between vegetative vigor of coffee plants and soil moisture in the root zone. Linear equations were generated to estimate soil moisture in this zone using vegetation indexes at soil management scale (soil profile explored by the crop). There is a response time delay of coffee vigor to soil moisture, and this time varies according to depth and water content in the soil profile. The highest correlation was obtained at a depth of 60cm, indicating that this depth is the one that best reflects the plant's water status.

Field evaluation and performance of capacitance probes for automated drip irrigation of watermelons

Continuous, real-time monitoring of soil-moisture is essential to effective and efficient water management in an automated drip irrigation system. The primary objectives of this 3-year (2008–2010) field study were to demonstrate the utility of multi-sensor capacitance probes (MCP) to automate high frequency drip irrigation in watermelons [Citrullus lanatus (Thumb.) Matsum. & Nak.] production and to determine irrigation set points as percent soil water content depletion. Irrigation water treatments of 15% available water depletion (AWD), 50% AWD and No water application (fertigation only) were tested in sandy Coastal Plain soils in South Carolina. Multi-sensor capacitance probes (MCPs) monitored soil water status in the top 50cm profile and automatically triggered short (30–60min) duration irrigation water cycles whenever the average 0–30cm profile soil water content reached the irrigation set points. During peak crop water use and on hot days, four to seven irrigation events per day were necessary to meet crop water needs and minimize leaching in the sandy fields. The tactical irrigation scheduling capability offered via MCPs in an automated mode was highly advantageous. The short but frequent irrigation water cycles reduced water movement below the root zone (0–30cm). The 15% AWD irrigation water treatment showed a significant yield increase of 44% and 18.4% during 2008 and 45% and 40% during 2010 compared to No Water Application and 50% AWD irrigation water treatments respectively. The MCP factory calibration was as good as on-site calibration and was sufficiently accurate for irrigation scheduling.

Impact of direct drilling and conventional tillage on seasonal changes of soil water content in Chromic Haploxerert (south-west Spain)

A continuous monitoring of spatial and temporal variability of soil water content was studied under two soil management systems: direct drilling (DD) and conventional tillage (CT), during four consecutive seasons. The soil water content was read at different soil depths using multisensor capacitance probes in each soil-management treatment. During the first season (2003–2004), soil water content dynamics for both treatments were similar during the rainy season, although the DD plot was able to retain more water in the soil profile, and during the maximum evapotranspirative period faster soil water depletion took place in the CT plot. The 2004–2005 season registered a high evapotranspiration rate (1741 mm) with low rainfall (228 mm), promoting a low soil water recharge for both treatments. The 2005–2006 season registered an increase in rainfall, promoting a greater recovery of the soil water reserve in DD than CC plot. Finally, during the 2006–2007 season with an evapotranspiration rate ET0 and rainfall of 1504 and 560 mm, respectively, DD retained more soil water content, mainly in the deeper zones, with progressive soil water depletion during the maximum evapotranspirative period in comparison to CT. Thus, DD was demonstrated to be a promising soil management technique for improving the soil water content.

Soil water content criteria for peach trees water stress detection during the postharvest period

Abstract Irrigation scheduling based on soil water moisture sensors requires that the soil water status be maintained within a range that is optimal for plant growth. The objective of this work was to evaluate whether soil water content dynamics, measured by multi-sensor capacitance probes, could be used to determine indices of a drying soil to detect the commencement of water stress in a peach tree orchard. For this, an experiment was carried out in a drip irrigated mature peach tree orchard in Murcia (Spain). During the postharvest period well irrigated trees (control treatment) were compared with two water stress treatments consisting of a drying cycle applied for one month in two ways: withholding irrigation (Rapid Stress) and progressively reducing irrigation (Gradual Stress). The soil water content (SWC) was measured continuously using multi-sensor capacitance probes. The beginning of plant water stress was identified by the first significant difference in midday stem water potential (Ψstem) between stressed and control trees. The ‘breaking point’ (the transition between a relatively rapid reduction of SWC in the drying soil to a slower rate) as well as the stabilization of the SWC-derived indices coincided with appearance of a water stress level as severe as to reduce plant water uptake, as judged from the Ψstem reduction. The results suggested that a lower SWC limit could be established for irrigation management in early maturing peach trees using capacitance probes at 90% of the field capacity value during the postharvest period.

Event-based estimation of water budget components using a network of multi-sensor capacitance probes

A new approach was developed for estimating vertical soil water fluxes using soil water content time series data. Instead of a traditional fixed time interval, this approach utilizes the time interval between two sequential minima of the soil water storage time series to identify groundwater recharge events and calculate components of the soil water budget. We calculated water budget components: surface-water excess (Sw), infiltration less evapotranspiration (I – ET) and groundwater recharge (R) from May 2001 to January 2003 at eight locations at the USDA Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland, USA. High uncertainty was observed for all budget components. This uncertainty was attributed to spatial and temporal variation in Sw, I – ET and R, and was caused by nonuniform rainfall distributions during recharge events, variability in the profile water content, and spatial variability in soil hydraulic properties. The proposed event-based approach allows estimating water budget components when profile water content monitoring data are available. Citation Guber, A., Gish, T., Pachepsky, Y., McKee, L., Nicholson, T. & Cady, R. (2011) Event-based estimation of water budget components using a network of multi-sensor capacitance probes. Hydrol. Sci. J. 56(7), 1227–1241.

Soil Conservation Measures in Rainfed Olive Orchards in South-Eastern Spain: Impacts of Plant Strips on Soil Water Dynamics

Sloping and mountainous olive production systems are widespread, occupying large parts of the Mediterranean landscape prone to water erosion. Soil erosion, runoff, and soil water content patterns over a three-year period were monitored in erosion plots on a mountainside with rainfed olive ( Olea europaea cv. Picual) trees under: 1) non-tillage with barley strips of 4 m width (BS); 2) non-tillage with native vegetation strips of 4 m width (NVS); and 3) non-tillage without plant strips (NT). The erosion plots, located in Lanjaron (Granada, south-eastern Spain), on a 30% slope, were 192 m 2 in area. For assessing soil water dynamics in real-time and near-continuous soil water content measurements, multisensor capacitance probes were installed in the middle of plant strips and beneath the olive tree at five soil depths (10, 20, 30, 50, and 100 cm). The highest erosion and runoff rates were measured under NT, with a mean of 17.3 Mg ha −1 year −1 and 140.0 mm year −1, respectively, over the entire study period. The BS and NVS with respect to the NT reduced erosion by 71% and 59% and runoff by 95% and 94%, respectively. In general, greater available soil water content was found under BS than NVS and NT, especially beneath the olive tree canopies. These results supported the recommendation of non-tillage with barley strips in order to reduce erosion and to preserve soil water for trees in traditional mountainous olive-producing areas, where orchards cover vast tracts of land.

Laboratory evaluation of dual-frequency multisensor capacitance probes to monitor soil water and salinity

Real-time information on salinity levels and transport of fertilizers are generally missing from soil profile knowledge bases. A dual-frequency multisensor capacitance probe (MCP) is now commercially available, for sandy soils, to simultaneously monitor volumetric soil water content (VWC) measured as a percentage and salinity as a unitless volumetric ion content (VIC). The objectives of this research were to assess the relationship of salinity and water content with these dual-frequency MCPs under laboratory conditions, and assess its potential for field use in sandy soils of the mid-Atlantic region of the US. Water and salinity studies were conducted in two sand-filled PVC columns, 1.2 m long by 0.25 m ID. Each column was instrumented with ten dual-frequency capacitance sensors and two thermocouple temperature sensors. Four salinity levels were studied in the two columns using 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 dSm−1 NH4NO3 solutions. Water, salinity, and temperature readings were continuously recorded at 1-min intervals. The VIC values were found to be primarily qualitative, but combined with real-time VWC measures the probe could still be an important fertigation management tool to provide near-continuous real-time information on fertilizer penetration, spread and subsequent changes during crop growth.

Temporal stability in soil water content patterns across agricultural fields

When a field or a small watershed is repeatedly surveyed for soil water content, locations can often be identified where soil water contents are either consistently larger or consistently less than the study area average. This phenomenon has been called temporal stability, time stability, temporal persistence, or rank stability in spatial patterns of soil water contents. Temporal stability is of considerable interest in terms of facilitating upscaling of observed soil water contents to obtain average values across the observation area, improving soil water monitoring strategies, and correcting the monitoring results for missing data. The objective of this work was to contribute to the existing knowledge base on temporal stability in soil water patterns using frequent multi-depth measurements with Multisensor Capacitance Probes (MCPs) installed in a coarse-texture soil under multi-year corn production. Water contents at 10, 30, 50, and 80 cm depths were measured every 10 min for 20 months of continuous observation from May 2001 to December 2002. The MCPs revealed temporal stability in soil water content patterns. Temporal stability was found to increase with depth. The statistical hypothesis could not be rejected (P < 0.0001) that data collected each 10 min, each 2 h, each day, and each week had the same temporal stability. The locations that were best for estimating the average water contents were different for different depths. The best three locations for the whole observation period were the same as the best locations for a month of observations in about 60% of the cases. Temporal stability for a specific location and depth could serve as a good predictor of the utility of this location for estimating the area-average soil water content for that depth. Temporal stability could be efficiently used to correct area-average water contents for missing data. Soil water contents can be upscaled and efficiently monitored using the temporal stability of soil water content patterns.

Temperature‐Dependent Scaled Frequency: Improved Accuracy of Multisensor Capacitance Probes

The response of multisensor capacitance probes (MCPs) to water content depends on multiple soil properties including temperature. The goal of this study was to evaluate a new temperature-dependent scaled frequency algorithm to correct for the temperature effect on the performance of MCPs. Plastic columns with MCPs and thermocouples in the middle were filled with air, deionized water, or quartz sand at different water contents (0.0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.12 and 0.38 m 3 m -3 ) and placed in a water bath with temperature varying between 5 and 45°C. Scaled frequency (SF) readings in saturated sand (0.38 m 3 m -3 ) were negatively correlated with temperature. There were positive correlations observed, however, between isothermal SF readings and media temperature for air and unsaturated quartz sand. Temperature effects in the unsaturated sand decreased with increasing water content; observed SF for quartz sand at 0.0 and 0.12 m 3 m -3 water contents increased 58 and 4%, respectively, when temperature increased from 5 to 45°C. A hysteretic temperature effect was observed in all tested media. A new temperature-dependent SF calibration methodology that we developed mitigated the increase in apparent water content caused by the use of the isothermal SF calibration equation. Our experimental data indicate that quartz sand temperature effects on apparent volumetric water content measured with MCPs can be mitigated using this new temperature-dependent SF methodology.

Effect of irrigation rate on yield of drip-irrigated seedless watermelon in a humid region

Seedless watermelon can be a profitable crop in humid regions such as the Delmarva Peninsula in the Mid-Atlantic region of the USA. Production using drip irrigation under plastic mulch is increasingly common but, although this is potentially an efficient production system, it is also complex in terms of irrigation scheduling. Experiments were conducted in 2004, 2005 and 2006 in Georgetown, Delaware to measure the effect of irrigation rate on yield of seedless watermelon grown with drip irrigation under plastic mulch. Relative irrigation rates were used to provide water amounts that ranged from low to high. The irrigation rates in all years included 50%, 100% and 150% of nominal crop water use, with additional rates of 0% and 250% in 2005 and 2006. Data from a nearby weather station were used to estimate reference evapotranspiration. Volumetric soil water content in the 50%, 100% and 150% treatments was measured in the center of each mulched bed using multi-sensor capacitance probes with sensors at depths of 10 cm, 20 cm, 30 cm, 50 cm and 70 cm. Yield of seedless melons per unit area of land ranged from about 55–95 tonnes/ha, depending on the year and the irrigation rate, but within each year the yield differences due to the irrigation rate were not significant ( p = 0.10) despite the large range in rate. Differences in quality, as measured by sugar content and the incidence of hollow heart, was also not significant. This lack of response to irrigation may be due to the ability of the root system to use infiltrated rainwater from outside the mulched bed. Growers in the region tend to apply more water than may be required as a form of risk avoidance. This study indicates that irrigation amounts could likely be reduced without having an adverse effect on yield.

Soil Water Measurement Comparisons Between Semi‐Permanent and Portable Capacitance Probes

The objectives of this study were to compare and characterize the soil water measurement responses using the EnviroSCAN semi permanent multisensor capacitance probes (MCP) and the Diviner 2000 (D2k) portable capacitance probe.Both probes are manufactured by Sentek Pty. Ltd., Stepney, South Australia. Comparative soil water measurements were made using the portable D2k and the MCP probes at three field sites where 48 polyvinylchloride (PVC) access tubes were previously installed and being used to near‐continuously monitor soil water content at four or more depths. The D2k and MCP soil water sensing data were highly correlated values (R2 &gt; 0.98), but the D2k water contents averaged about 5% more than the corresponding MCP values. As a result of this high correlation we were able to transform the D2k readings so that the two probes gave essentially the same water content values when measured as the same time and position.

Use of Multisensor Capacitance Probes as Irrigation Management Tool in Humid Areas: Case Studies and Experiments from the Mid-Atlantic Region

Multisensor capacitance probes (MCPs) were used to provide valuable and detailed information on soil water dynamics under irrigated farm management in Delaware. Near-continuous real-time soil water content and dynamics were measured at five soil depths within the rootzone of : 1) farmer-managed drip and sprinkler irrigation of several crops in 2002 and 2003; and 2) researcher-managed drip-irrigated watermelons (L. Citrullus lanatus) under irrigation rates of 50%, 100%, and 150% (low, medium, and high) relative to ET0 in 2004 and 2005. The objectives were to assess how these probes might be used to improve irrigation management and to examine the dynamics of soil water under humid conditions and typical grower management. The farmer-managed irrigations generally had a primary active rooting depth of 35 cm, but irrigation water was commonly observed to percolate to 100-cm depth. The high irrigation rate in the researcher-managed trials (more typical of farmer management) resulted in 29% of the irrigations causing water percolation to 70 cm, which was about six times the rate under medium irrigation. The yield of watermelon was not significantly affected by the wide range in irrigation amount, indicating that growers could reduce irrigation in humid conditions without impacting yield or quality. The use of MCPs would enable accurate monitoring of soil water trends and, in combination with weather forecasts, provide confidence that reducing typical irrigation amounts should not result in crop water stress or decreased yield.

REAL‐TIME SOIL WATER MONITORING FOR OPTIMUM WATER MANAGEMENT1

Abstract: Efficient water resource management is one of the most important policy issues facing agriculture in Hawaii in the years ahead. Soil water sensors, multisensor capacitance probes (MCP), have been successfully used for different water management projects. These MCPs monitor water content at multiple depths and at various locations in real‐time. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of water content on field soil bulk density of Wahiawa silty clay tropical soil; measure field saturated hydraulic conductivity of this tropical soil: calibrate MCP system for this soil: and monitor and evaluate real‐time soil water content variations under a tomato crop using the calibrated MCP system. Sensor calibration was conducted under laboratory conditions. Soil bulk density at different water contents and saturated hydraulic conductivity were measured on the field. Bulk density increased with increasing water content: there was a 30 percent bulk density increase as a result of 0.25 cm3 cm‐3 water content variation. Compared with the manufacturer's calibration, site specific laboratory calibration of MCP gave a more accurate determination of soil water. Field determined saturated hydraulic conductivity was higher than laboratory determined values reported in the literature for the same soil type. Real‐time soil water content monitoring within the root zone showed substantial variations due to water input (irrigation and rainfall) and water output (evapotranspiration and deep percolations). However, water content variations were much further reduced in the soil layer below the root zone.