Wireless soil sensors for lower-cost precision irrigation
Over $270,000 invested in the technology
Only $5 to produce a complete wireless soil moisture sensor
Labor savings from buried sensors and simpler calibration
Understanding soil moisture and drying trends is key to scheduling irrigation, improving crop health and yield, and avoiding water quality problems from nutrient leaching.
Many moisture sensors are currently available at a wide range of price points ($10-<$1000) and offering varying levels of accuracy. Even though they have been available for decades, most producers today don’t use soil moisture sensors. They can be a hassle to install and calibrate, and it takes time, sometimes years, to get comfortable interpreting drying and wetting data trends. Deploying sensors across fields in sufficient number to get a better picture of soil moisture status is cost-prohibitive.
IIC funding supported core technology development of low-cost, buried sensor nodes that eliminate the need for aboveground infrastructure and greatly simplifying field installation. Once installed, the sensor network detects real-time changes in soil moisture and communicates the results to an aboveground cellular gateway and the cloud.
“Low cost soil moisture sensors give irrigators access to a comprehensive understanding of their water needs across the field.”
— Ian Askland, SoilSignal
The sensors developed through this project cost about to five dollars to produce. The batteries powering the sensors only need to be replaced every nine months, and the data generated by the sensors can be easily accessed through an online dashboard. Additional work is currently underway to add additional sensor functionality including soil salinity monitoring and beta test the sensors in a wide range of agricultural and landscape settings.
For more information, visit: https://www.soilsignal.com/