Tuesday, 8 November 2005
12

Decreasing Electrical Conductivity and Temperature Sensitivity of a Low-Cost Dielectric Soil Moisture Sensor.

Colin Campbell1, Gaylon Campbell1, and Douglas R. Cobos2. (1) Decagon Devices, Inc., 950 Ne Nelson Ct., Pullman, WA 99163, (2) Decagon Devices, 950 NE Nelson Ct., Pullman, WA 99163

Dielectric soil moisture measurements are now widely used, both in research and in commercial agriculture. Although measurements are often made in locations where electrical conductivity (EC) and temperature fluctuations are low, high levels of either can cause difficulty in analyzing dielectric moisture data. Several researchers have proposed using higher probe frequencies to mitigate these effects, but there are limits to that approach, both in cost and effectiveness. The objective of this research was to determine what could be done to decrease salt and temperature sensitivity of the soil moisture probe in different soils. Sensitivity to EC was found to be large in coarse-textured soils but slight in fine- textured soils at low probe frequencies. Increasing the probe frequency removed most of the EC sensitivity in coarse soil but did not appear to improve the response in the fine soils. Higher frequencies also diminished temperature sensitivity considerably in all soils. While increasing frequency improved probe performance to a point, frequencies above about 70 MHz appeared to cause probe performance to worsen.

Handout (.pdf format, 187.0 kb)

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