Soil moisture is critical

For maximum growth, plants need appropriate soil moisture at the correct depth for each species’ root system.  Surface soil moisture levels can be very different from moisture levels below, so the DLN Soil Monitor provides soil moisture data in 12cm increments down to 50cm below the surface.  Importantly, the unit also provides soil temperature readings every 10cm.

It is also clear that soil moisture is a critical parameter for prediction of the risks from pests and diseases in reducing crop yields.

Currently, assessing soil moisture is difficult and expensive.  Several methods are used:

• Readings based on a combination of statistics and manual borehole sampling is labour intensive and expensive (approx. £500/day for 4-5 site visits).
• Sensors that utilise a datalogger require a field visit to upload the data, meaning that the data is not real time.
• Some wireless sensors are available with remote connectivity, but they are also expensive (£500-£1500), not counting the additional costs for uplink connectivity.

Consequently, up until now these costs have been prohibitive for large deployments of sensors for large scale landscape monitoring.

Soil Temperature is Critical Also

Seed germination is dependent on soil temperature. In the Spring, farmers want to plant as early as possible, but their schedule is dictated by the soil temperature. In addition, the optimum times to apply fertiliser and certain herbicides is dictated by the temperature of the soil.

The Dales Land Net Soil Monitor provides the information needed for good decision making. For more detail, please visit the Our Solution page.