Soil Moisture Sensor Working and Applications

The moisture content of the soil is critical in the irrigation field as well as in plant gardens. The nutrients in the soil feed the plants, allowing them to grow. It is also necessary to provide water to the plants to change their temperature. Water can be used to change the temperature of the plant through a process like transpiration. Plant root systems develop more effectively when growing in moist soil. Extreme soil moisture levels can lead to anaerobic conditions that promote plant growth as well as the growth of soil pathogens. This article provides an overview of the soil moisture sensor, its operation, and its applications.

What is a Soil Moisture Sensor?

One type of sensor used to measure the volumetric content of water in the soil is the soil moisture sensor. The straight gravimetric dimension of soil moisture requires removal, drying, and sample weighting. These sensors measure the volumetric water content indirectly, using soil rules such as dielectric constant, electrical resistance, otherwise interaction with neutrons, and moisture content replacement.

The relationship between the calculated property and soil moisture should be adjusted and may change depending on environmental factors such as temperature, soil type, and electric conductivity. The reflected microwave emission is influenced by soil moisture and is primarily used in agriculture and remote sensing within hydrology.

Working Principle

This sensor primarily employs capacitance to determine the water content of the soil. This sensor works by inserting it into the earth, and the status of the water content in the soil is reported in the form of a percentage. This sensor is ideal for use in science courses such as environmental science, agricultural science, biology, soil science, botany, and horticulture.

The applications of moisture sensors include the following.

·      Agriculture

·      Landscape irrigation

·      Research

·      Simple sensors for gardeners

It all comes down to the soil moisture sensor. Finally, we can conclude that this sensor is used to measure the volumetric water content of the soil, making it ideal for experiments in the fields of agricultural science, soil science, horticulture, environmental science, biology, and botany.