EVALUATION OF VARIOUS SOIL MOISTURE SENSORS IN FOUR DIFFERENT SOIL TYPES

Accurate measurements of soil moisture content can contribute to resource conservation in irrigated systems. The objective of this study was to evaluate various soil moisture sensors (a porous cup tensiometer, Diviner 2000, PR2, XH300, PM100, and ML3; the mention of model names does not constitute an implied endorsement) used in four different soil types. The experiment was conducted inside a greenhouse using a specially constructed box that contained the soil samples. The soil samples were first saturated and subsequently drained before starting the measurements. The soil moisture content was determined by the oven-drying method. Using the standard deviation of the sensor readings, regression analyses were performed, resulting in calibration equations and coefficient of determination (R-2) values for each sensor and soil type combination. The porous cup tensiometer, Diviner 2000, PR2, and ML3 measurements resulted in excellent R-2 values that exceeded 0.95 for the four soils. However, measurements with the XH300 and PM100 sensors resulted in R-2 values of 0.37 to 0.86 and 0.61 to 0.94, respectively, limiting their scientific applicability for the studied soils. Therefore, the porous cup tensiometer, Diviner 2000, PR2, and ML3 estimated the soil moisture content with greater confidence than did the other sensors and with an error of less than 5%.