Evaluation and estimation of calibration curves of devices to measure soil moisture

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15517/am.2024.55384

Keywords:

calibration equations, volumetric content, conductivity, textural differential

Abstract

Introduction. Climate change adaptation measures require informed decision-making. However, small-scale agriculture shows low rates of technology adoption due to cost and lack of connectivity. Objective. To evaluate three low-cost prototypes of small-scale agriculture devices for soil moisture measurement in different soil textures, as well as to determine the respective calibration equations, and the effects of electrical conductivity and temperature on moisture measurement. Materials and methods. Three measurement and recording prototypes for soil moisture were evaluated in soils with variations in clay/sand content and electrical conductivity in productive plots at Zamorano University in Honduras and a demonstration farm in Popayán, Colombia during the first quarter of 2022. Commercial sensors were used as a reference to compare the performance of the prototypes through regression analysis of hourly sensor readings over 90 days. Electrical conductivity (dS/m) and temperature variables were collected to determine their influence on moisture reading accuracy. Results. The soil moisture measurement devices showed better performance in soils with lower sand content. The measurement from the devices overestimated moisture readings by 0.19 to 0.52 percentage points for each additional degree of soil temperature. Additionally, for each additional dS/m of electrical conductivity, the reading needed adjustment by 8 to 55 percentage points. Conclusions. Prototype A was the most accurate device, while prototype B was the most precise compared to commercial sensors. Soil moisture devices performed best in soils with lower sand content. The three models evaluated performed best in loam soil with a medium clay content.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Adeyemi, O., Norton, T., Grove, I., & Peets, S. (2016). Performance evaluation of three newly developed soil moisture sensors. (pp. 26–29). Proceedings of the CIGR-AgEng Conference. https://lirias.kuleuven.be/1717272?limo=0

Avendaño-Ruiz, B. D., Hernández-Alcantar, M. L., & Martínez-Carrasco-Pleite, F. (2017). Innovaciones tecnológicas en el sector hortícola del noroeste de México: rapidez de adopción y análisis de redes de difusión. Corpoica Ciencia y Tecnología Agropecuaria, 18(3), 495–511. https://doi.org/10.21930/rcta.vol18_num3_art:740

Dalton, F. N. (1992). Development of time-domain reflectometry for measuring soil water content and bulk soil electrical conductivity. In G. C. Topp, W. D. Reynolds, & R. E. Green (Eds.), Advances in Measurement of Soil Physical Properties: Bringing Theory into Practice (pp. 143–167). Soil Science Society of America, Inc. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaspecpub30.c8

Datta, S., Taghvaeian, S., Ochsner, T. E., Moriasi, D., Gowda, P., & Steiner, J. L. (2018). Performance assessment of five different soil moisture sensors under irrigated field conditions in Oklahoma. Sensors, 18(11), Article 3786. https://doi.org/10.3390/s18113786

Escobar, G. (2016). La relevancia de la agricultura en América Latina y el Caribe. Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. https://static.nuso.org/media/documents/agricultura.pdf

Feng, G., & Sui, R. (2020). Evaluation and Calibration of Soil Moisture Sensors in Undisturbed Soils. Transactions of the ASABE, 63(2), 265–274. https://doi.org/10.13031/trans.13428

Gonzalez Ortiz, C. F. (2020). Evaluación de un nuevo sensor de humedad de suelo inalámbrico de bajo costo [Tesis de maestría, Universidad de Talca]. DSpace Biblioteca Universidad de Talca. http://dspace.utalca.cl/handle/1950/12336

González-Teruel, J. D., Torres-Sánchez, R, Blaya-Ros, P., Toledo-Moreo, A. B., Jiménez-Buendía, M., & Soto-Valle, F. (2019). Design and calibration of a low-cost SDI-12 soil moisture sensor. Sensors, 19(3), Article 491. https://doi.org/10.3390/s19030491

International Atomic Energy Agency. (2008). Field estimation of soil water content. A practical guide to methods, instrumentation and sensor technology (Training Course Series No. 30). International Atomic Energy Agency. https://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/TCS-30_web.pdf

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2015). Climate change 2014. Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Part B: Regional Aspects. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415386

Lekshmi, S. S., Singh, D. N., & Shojaei Baghini, M. (2014). A critical review of soil moisture measurement. Measurement, 54, 92–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.2014.04.007

Lemi, T., & Hailu, F. (2019). Effects of climate change variability on agricultural productivity. International Journal of Environmental Sciences & Natural Resources, 17(1), Article 555953. https://doi.org/10.19080/ijesnr.2019.17.555953

Meter Group. (n.d. a). Teros 12: Advanced soil moisture sensor + temperature and EC. Recuperado Octubre 10, 2022, de https://www.metergroup.com/en/meter-environment/products/teros-12-soil-moisture-sensor

Meter Group. (n.d. b). Teros 21 soil water potential sensor. Recuperado Octubre 10, 2022, de https://www.metergroup.com/en/meter-environment/products/teros-21-soil-water-potential-sensor

Mittelbach, H., Lehner, I., & Seneviratne, S. I. (2012). Comparison of four soil moisture sensor types under field conditions in Switzerland. Journal of Hydrology, 430–431, 39–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.01.041

Oates, M. J., Fernández-López, A., Ferrández-Villena, M., & Ruiz-Canales, A. (2017). Temperature compensation in a low cost frequency domain (capacitance based) soil moisture sensor. Agricultural Water Management, 183, 86–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2016.11.002

Robinson, D. A. (2009). Field Estimation of Soil Water Content: A Practical Guide to Methods, Instrumentation and Sensor Technology. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 73(4), 1437–1437. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2008.0016br

Sugita, M., Kubota, A., Higuchi, M., Matsuno, A., & Tanaka, H. (2016). Continuous soil moisture monitoring under high salinity conditions by dielectric sensors: A reliability test. Tsukuba Geoenvironmental Sciences, 12, 17–22. https://tsukuba.repo.nii.ac.jp/records/39994

Trendov, N. M., Varas, S., & Zeng, M. (2019). Tecnologías digitales en la agricultura y las zonas rurales. Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura. https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/ca4887es

Usuga, L., & Pauwels, V. (2008). Utilización de sensores de humedad para la determinación del contenido de humedad del suelo: ecuaciones de calibración. Suelos Ecuatoriales, 38(1), 24–33. http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-667649

Varble, J. L., & Chávez, J. L. (2011). Performance evaluation and calibration of soil water content and potential sensors for agricultural soils in eastern Colorado. Agricultural Water Management, 101(1), 93–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2011.09.007

Wyseure, G. C. L., Mojid, M. A., & Malik, M. A. (2005). Measurement of volumetric water content by TDR in saline soils. European Journal of Soil Science, 48(2), 347–354. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.1997.tb00555.x

Zhu, Y., Irmak, S., Jhala, A. J., Vuran, M. C., & Diotto, A. (2019). Time-domain and frequency-domain reflectometry type soil moisture sensor performance and soil temperature effects in fine- and coarse-textured soils. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 35(2), 117–134. https://doi.org/10.13031/aea.12908

Published

2024-01-09

How to Cite

Gonzalez de León, A. D., Sandoval Mejía, L. A., Arévalo-Valderrama, G. E., Gómez, O. M., & Caro, B. S. (2024). Evaluation and estimation of calibration curves of devices to measure soil moisture. Agronomía Mesoamericana, 35, 55384. https://doi.org/10.15517/am.2024.55384