Soil moisture sensors

Soil moisture sensors

Soil moisture sensors measure the water content in soil. A soil moisture probe is made up of multiple soil moisture sensors. One common type of soil moisture sensors in commercial use include the Frequency domain sensor such as the capacitance sensor. One of the major manufacturers of soil moisture sensors and probes is [http://www.aquaspy.com AquaSpy] .

Measuring soil moisture is important in agriculture to help farmers manage their irrigation systems more efficiently. Not only are farmers able to generally use less water to grow a crop, they are able to increase yields and the quality of the crop by better management of soil moisture during critical plant growth stages.

Besides agriculture, there are many other disciplines using soil moisture sensors. Golf courses are now using sensors to increase the efficiencies of their irrigation systems to prevent over watering and leaching of fertilizers and other chemicals offsite.

In urban areas, landscapes and residential lawns are using soil moisture sensors to interface with an irrigation controller. Connecting a soil moisture sensor to a simple irrigation clock will convert it into a “smart” irrigation controller that prevents an irrigation cycle when the soil is wet. An example of a controlling soil moisture sensor is the [http://www.aquaspy.com/default.cfm?id=201 AquaBlu] .


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Water content — Soil composition by phase: s soil (dry), v void (pores filled with water or air), w water, a air. V is volume, M is mass. Water content or moisture content is the quantity of water contained in a material, such as soil (called soil moisture),… …   Wikipedia

  • Hysteresis — Not to be confused with Hysteria. Fig. 1. Electric displacement field D of a ferroelectric material as the electric field E is first decreased, then increased. The curves form a hysteresis loop. Hysteresis is the dependence of a system not… …   Wikipedia

  • Controller (irrigation) — An irrigation controller is a device to operate automatic irrigation systems such as lawn sprinklers and drip irrigation systems. Most controllers have a means of setting the frequency of irrigation, the start time, and the duration of watering.… …   Wikipedia

  • Irrigation — For its use in viticulture, see Irrigation in viticulture. For its use in medicine, see Therapeutic irrigation. LEPA redirects here. For the airport serving Palma de Mallorca, Spain, assigned the ICAO code LEPA, see Palma de Mallorca Airport.… …   Wikipedia

  • Hydrology — Water covers 70% of the Earth s surface. Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth and other planets, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability. A… …   Wikipedia

  • Outline of hydrology — The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to hydrology: Hydrology – study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth and other planets, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and… …   Wikipedia

  • hydrologic sciences — Introduction       the fields of study concerned with the waters of the Earth. Included are the sciences of hydrology, oceanography, limnology, and glaciology.       In its widest sense hydrology encompasses the study of the occurrence, the… …   Universalium

  • Frequency domain sensor — Frequency domain (FD) sensor is an instrument developed for measuring soil moisture content. The instrument has an oscillating circuit, the sensing part of the sensor is embedded in the soil, and the operating frequency will depend on the value… …   Wikipedia

  • Normalized Difference Vegetation Index — Negative values of NDVI (values approaching 1) correspond to water. Values close to zero ( 0.1 to 0.1) generally correspond to barren areas of rock, sand, or snow. Lastly, low, positive values represent shrub and grassland (approximately 0.2 to 0 …   Wikipedia

  • Numerical weather prediction — Weather models use systems of differential equations based on the laws of …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”