CropX Study Reveals Soil Moisture Probe Geometry Dramatically Affects Accuracy
CropX, a leading ag analytics and soil sensing company, has released results of a multiyear study on the impact of soil sensor geometry and installation method on moisture readings and irrigation. The study found that spiral sensor designs deliver the best accuracy.
“The occurrence of preferential flow in soil is well documented,” noted Guy Sela, CropX VP of Agronomy. “The geometry of the soil sensor and the installation method greatly affect the accuracy of soil moisture readings as most sensors relay information based on preferential flow rather than the true moisture level in the soil. Spiral sensors offer the most accurate view of the actual moisture content of undisturbed soil in the field.”
The study modeled the formation of preferential flow pathways around sensors with different geometries and quantified the difference between the soil moisture in undisturbed soil and the soil moisture reported by the sensors. Across different soil types (e.g., loamy, sandy, silty), soil depths and irrigation amounts/intervals, the study found that spiral sensors moisture readings mapped most closely to undisturbed soil.
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