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Proximal Soil Moisture Sensing for Real-Time Water Delivery Control: Exploratory Study over a Potato Farm

Author

Listed:
  • Xiaoling Wu

    (Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Australia)

  • Jeffrey P. Walker

    (Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Australia)

  • Vanessa Wong

    (School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Australia)

Abstract

New sensing technologies are at the cusp of providing state-of-the-art infrastructure to precisely monitor crop water requirements spatially so as to optimize irrigation scheduling and agricultural productivity. This project aimed to develop a new smart irrigation system that uses an L-band radiometer in conjunction with an irrigation boom, allowing for a precision water delivery system using derived high-resolution soil moisture information. A potato farm was selected due to its sensitivity to water and an existing irrigation system where the radiometer could be mounted. A field experiment was conducted to capture the soil moisture variation across the farm using the radiometer. A greenhouse trial was also conducted to mimic the actual growth of potatoes by controlling the soil moisture and exploring the impact on their growth. It was found that 0.3 cm 3 /cm 3 was the optimal moisture level in terms of productivity. Moreover, it was demonstrated that on-farm soil moisture maps could be generated with an RMSE of 0.044 cm 3 /cm 3 . It is anticipated that through such technology, a real-time watering map will be generated, which will then be passed to the irrigation software to adjust the rate of each nozzle to meet the requirements without under- or over-watering.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiaoling Wu & Jeffrey P. Walker & Vanessa Wong, 2023. "Proximal Soil Moisture Sensing for Real-Time Water Delivery Control: Exploratory Study over a Potato Farm," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-10, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:13:y:2023:i:7:p:1297-:d:1178683
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Eva-Marie Meemken & Matin Qaim, 2018. "Organic Agriculture, Food Security, and the Environment," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 10(1), pages 39-63, October.
    2. Hertel, Thomas W., 2015. "The Challenges of Sustainably Feeding a Growing Planet," 2015 Conference (59th), February 10-13, 2015, Rotorua, New Zealand 202525, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
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