Time Domain Transmissiometry-Based Sensor for Simultaneously Measuring Soil Water Content, Electrical Conductivity, Temperature, and Matric Potential

Owing to the increasing popularity of smart agriculture in recent years, it is necessary to develop a single sensor that can measure several soil properties, particularly the soil water content and matric potential. Therefore, in this study, we developed a sensor that can simultaneously measure soil water content (theta), electrical conductivity (sigma(b)), temperature, and matric potential (psi). The proposed sensor can determine theta and sigma(b) using time domain transmissiometry and can determine psi based on the capacitance of the accompanying ceramic plate. A series of laboratory and field tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of the sensor. The sensor output values were correlated with the soil properties, and the temperature dependence of the sensor outputs was evaluated. Additionally, field tests were conducted to measure transient soil conditions over a long period. The results show that the developed sensor can measure each soil property with acceptable accuracy. Moreover, the root-mean-square errors of the sensor and reference values were 1.7 for the dielectric constant (which is equivalent to theta), 62 mS m(-1) for sigma(b), and 0.05-0.88 for log psi. The temperature dependence was not a problem, except when psi was below -100 kPa. The sensor can be used for long-term measurements in agricultural fields and exhibited sufficient lifetime and performance. We believe that the developed sensor can contribute to smart agriculture and research on heat and mass transfer in soil.

Automated summary

In this study, a sensor was developed to simultaneously measure soil water content, electrical conductivity, temperature, and matric potential. The sensor was tested in laboratory and field conditions, and showed accurate measurements and sufficient lifetime and performance for agricultural use.