Soil Water Sensor Performance and Corrections with Multiple Installation Orientations and Depths under Three Agricultural Irrigation Treatments

Performance evaluations and corrections of soil water sensors have not been studied using different installation orientations under various irrigation treatments in the Texas High Plains. This study evaluated the performance of four sensors using factory calibration and derived field corrections as compared to calibrated neutron moisture meters (NMMs). Sensor performance was assessed using horizontal insertion, laid horizontal placement, and vertical insertion at 15.2, 45.7, and 76.2 cm depths in a clay loam soil with three irrigation treatments. Results indicated the factory-calibrated Acclima 315 L performed satisfactorily using horizontal insertion as compared to NMM measurements at 45.7 and 76.2 cm depths with a ±2% mean difference (MD) and <3.5% root mean square error (RMSE). The factory-calibrated Acclima 315 L using horizontal insertion also performed satisfactorily across all irrigation treatments according to soil profile water storage (MD = 0.36% and RMSE = 3.25%). Generally, the factory-calibrated Decagon GS1 and Campbell Scientific 655 using vertical insertion agreed more closely with NMM measurements compared with other installation orientations. There was a significant underestimation of water storage (>60 mm) in the 0.9 m soil profile using the Watermark 200SS. In summary, field corrections are required for Decagon GS1, Campbell Scientific 655, and Watermark 200SS sensors.

[1]  Fanrui Meng,et al.  Field Performance of Nine Soil Water Content Sensors on a Sandy Loam Soil in New Brunswick, Maritime Region, Canada , 2009, Sensors.

[2]  Steven R. Evett,et al.  Evapotranspiration by Soil Water Balance Using TDR and Neutron Scattering , 1993 .

[3]  Thomas H. Marek,et al.  Soil water extraction, water use, and grain yield by drought-tolerant maize on the Texas High Plains , 2015 .

[4]  Tsz Him Lo,et al.  Performance assessment of factory and field calibrations for electromagnetic sensors in a loam soil , 2018 .

[5]  Scott K. Anderson,et al.  Evaluation of a Direct‐Coupled Time‐Domain Reflectometry for Determination of Soil Water Content and Bulk Electrical Conductivity , 2016 .

[6]  Reinhard Nolz,et al.  Performance of Hydra Probe and MPS-1 Soil Water Sensors in Topsoil Tested in Lab and Field , 2014 .

[7]  D. Altman,et al.  Statistics notes: Measurement error , 1996 .

[8]  Yared Assefa,et al.  Comparison of Corn, Grain Sorghum, Soybean, and Sunflower under Limited Irrigation , 2016 .

[9]  Ginger B. Paige,et al.  Comparison of Field Performance of Multiple Soil Moisture Sensors in a Semi‐Arid Rangeland 1 , 2008 .

[10]  Steven R. Evett,et al.  Comments on “J. Singh et al., Performance assessment of factory and field calibrations for electromagnetic sensors in a loam soil” [Agric. Water Manage. 196 (2018) 87–98] , 2018 .

[11]  Thomas H. Marek,et al.  2011 Panhandle Regional Water Plan Task 2 Report: Agricultural Water Demand Projections , 2011 .

[12]  Thomas J. Trout,et al.  USDA-ARS Colorado maize water productivity data set , 2017, Irrigation Science.

[13]  Beatrice Gralton,et al.  Washington DC - USA , 2008 .

[14]  T. J. Dean,et al.  Soil moisture measurement by an improved capacitance technique, part II. Field techniques, evaluation and calibration , 1987 .

[15]  Venkat Lakshmi,et al.  Soil Moisture Remote Sensing: State‐of‐the‐Science , 2017 .

[16]  Jean L. Steiner,et al.  PRECISION OF NEUTRON SCATTERING AND CAPACITANCE TYPE SOIL WATER CONTENT GAUGES FROM FIELD CALIBRATION , 1995 .

[17]  Mark S. Seyfried,et al.  Dielectric Loss and Calibration of the Hydra Probe Soil Water Sensor , 2005 .

[18]  Finn Plauborg,et al.  In Situ Comparison of Three Dielectric Soil Moisture Sensors in Drip Irrigated Sandy Soils , 2005 .

[19]  P. Gowda,et al.  Irrigation in the Texas High Plains: a brief history and potential reductions in demand , 2009 .

[20]  José L. Chávez,et al.  Performance evaluation and calibration of soil water content and potential sensors for agricultural soils in eastern Colorado , 2011 .

[21]  Norman L. Klocke,et al.  Corn Yield Response to Deficit Irrigation , 2011 .

[22]  Terry A. Howell,et al.  A Depth Control Stand for Improved Accuracy with the Neutron Probe , 2003 .

[23]  Saleh Taghvaeian,et al.  Performance Assessment of Five Different Soil Moisture Sensors under Irrigated Field Conditions in Oklahoma , 2018, Sensors.

[24]  J. A. Tolk,et al.  Soil Profile Water Content Determination: Sensor Accuracy, Axial Response, Calibration, Temperature Dependence, and Precision , 2006 .

[25]  K. Loague,et al.  Statistical and graphical methods for evaluating solute transport models: Overview and application , 1991 .

[26]  Stephen A. McGuire,et al.  Introductory Statistics , 2007, Technometrics.

[27]  Andrew P. Whitmore,et al.  Computer simulation of changes in soil mineral nitrogen and crop nitrogen during autumn, winter and spring , 1987, The Journal of Agricultural Science.

[28]  Steven R. Evett,et al.  Lower Limits of Crop Water Use in Three Soil Textural Classes , 2012 .

[29]  Steven R. Evett,et al.  Tillage effects on soil water redistribution and bare soil evaporation throughout a season , 2010 .

[30]  P. Unger,et al.  Pullman Soils: Distribution, Importance, Variability, and Management. , 1981 .

[31]  S. Evett,et al.  Validating the FAO AquaCrop Model for Irrigated and Water Deficient Field Maize , 2009 .

[32]  B. Leib,et al.  FIELD EVALUATION AND PERFORMANCE COMPARISON OF SOIL MOISTURE SENSORS , 2003 .

[33]  John Fitzmaurice,et al.  Field Performance of Five Soil Moisture Instruments in Heavy Clay Soils , 2015 .

[34]  P de Willigen,et al.  Comparison of six simulation models for the nitrogen cycle in the soil , 1985, Fertilizer research.

[35]  A. P. Annan,et al.  Electromagnetic determination of soil water content: Measurements in coaxial transmission lines , 1980 .

[36]  Terry A. Howell,et al.  Sprinkler Irrigation Management for Corn — Southern Great Plains , 1989 .

[37]  Dirk Inzé,et al.  The Agony of Choice: How Plants Balance Growth and Survival under Water-Limiting Conditions1 , 2013, Plant Physiology.

[38]  Philip Charlesworth,et al.  Irrigation Scheduling: Soil Water Status , 2007 .

[39]  Victor L. Hauser.  Neutron Meter Calibration and Error Control , 1984 .

[40]  K. Giese,et al.  Determination of the complex permittivity from thin-sample time domain reflectometry improved analysis of the step response waveform , 1975 .

[41]  Michael H. Cosh,et al.  Field and Laboratory Evaluation of the CS655 Soil Water Content Sensor , 2018 .