Calibration of Soil Moisture Sensors (ECH<sub>2</sub>O-5TE) in Hot and Saline Soils with New Empirical Equation
The use of soil moisture sensors is a practice applied to improve irrigation water management. ECH2O-5TE sensors are increasingly being used to estimate the volumetric water content (VWC). In view of the importance of the efficient use of these devices, six main factors affecting the accuracy of sen...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/1/51 |
| _version_ | 1797447234419163136 |
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| author | Ibrahim I. Louki Abdulrasoul M. Al-Omran |
| author_facet | Ibrahim I. Louki Abdulrasoul M. Al-Omran |
| author_sort | Ibrahim I. Louki |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The use of soil moisture sensors is a practice applied to improve irrigation water management. ECH2O-5TE sensors are increasingly being used to estimate the volumetric water content (VWC). In view of the importance of the efficient use of these devices, six main factors affecting the accuracy of sensor measurements were studied: soil moisture levels, soil salinity, temperature, organic matter, soil texture, and bulk density. The study showed that the electrical conductivity of the soil and the temperature independently affect the measurements, while the influence of other factors interferes with that of salinity. This study found that the sensor measurements of the VWC were closest to the actual VWC at the soil ECe and temperatures of 2.42 dS m<sup>−1</sup> and 25 °C, with root-mean-square errors (RMSE) of 0.003 and 0.004 m<sup>3</sup> m<sup>−3</sup>. Otherwise, the measured VWC values of these sensor readouts significantly overestimated the actual VWC, with an increasing soil ECe and/or producing temperatures higher than the stated values, and vice versa. Given the importance of these sensors for obtaining accurate measurements for water management, a simplified empirical equation was derived using the data collected from a wide range of measurements to correct the influences of electrical conductivity and temperature on the measurement accuracy of the sensors, while considering the influence of the soil’s texture. Thus, the following equation was proposed: ϴva =<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mo> </mo><mi mathvariant="sans-serif">θ</mi><mi>vs</mi><msup><mrow><mfenced><mrow><mfenced><mrow><mi>a</mi><mi>E</mi><mi>C</mi><msup><mi>e</mi><mn>2</mn></msup><mo>+</mo><mi>b</mi><mi>E</mi><mi>C</mi><mi>e</mi><mo>+</mo><mi>c</mi></mrow></mfenced><mo>+</mo><mfenced><mrow><mi>d</mi><msup><mi>T</mi><mn>2</mn></msup><mo>+</mo><mi>e</mi><mi>T</mi><mo>+</mo><mi>f</mi></mrow></mfenced></mrow></mfenced></mrow><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>. The results concerning the measurement of different VWC levels via these sensors and the proposed L&O correction equation were compared with the corresponding actual VWC values determined by gravimetric methods. It was found that this empirical equation reduced the differences in the RMSE between the sensor readings for the VWC and the actual VWC from 0.072 and 0.252 to 0.030 and 0.030 m<sup>3</sup> m<sup>−3</sup> for 1 and 5 dS m<sup>−1</sup>, respectively, with respect to the EC’s influence at 25 °C and reduced the RMSE from 0.053 and 0.098 to 0.007 and 0.011 at 3 and 50 °C, respectively, regarding the effect of the temperature at EC 2.42 dS m<sup>−1</sup> at different levels of the actual VWC values. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:51:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-48b9c5dfc82047439f4c19f8c0365f57 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:51:56Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-48b9c5dfc82047439f4c19f8c0365f572023-11-30T20:48:14ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952022-12-011315110.3390/agronomy13010051Calibration of Soil Moisture Sensors (ECH<sub>2</sub>O-5TE) in Hot and Saline Soils with New Empirical EquationIbrahim I. Louki0Abdulrasoul M. Al-Omran1Soil Science Department, College of Food and Agriculture Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaSoil Science Department, College of Food and Agriculture Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaThe use of soil moisture sensors is a practice applied to improve irrigation water management. ECH2O-5TE sensors are increasingly being used to estimate the volumetric water content (VWC). In view of the importance of the efficient use of these devices, six main factors affecting the accuracy of sensor measurements were studied: soil moisture levels, soil salinity, temperature, organic matter, soil texture, and bulk density. The study showed that the electrical conductivity of the soil and the temperature independently affect the measurements, while the influence of other factors interferes with that of salinity. This study found that the sensor measurements of the VWC were closest to the actual VWC at the soil ECe and temperatures of 2.42 dS m<sup>−1</sup> and 25 °C, with root-mean-square errors (RMSE) of 0.003 and 0.004 m<sup>3</sup> m<sup>−3</sup>. Otherwise, the measured VWC values of these sensor readouts significantly overestimated the actual VWC, with an increasing soil ECe and/or producing temperatures higher than the stated values, and vice versa. Given the importance of these sensors for obtaining accurate measurements for water management, a simplified empirical equation was derived using the data collected from a wide range of measurements to correct the influences of electrical conductivity and temperature on the measurement accuracy of the sensors, while considering the influence of the soil’s texture. Thus, the following equation was proposed: ϴva =<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mo> </mo><mi mathvariant="sans-serif">θ</mi><mi>vs</mi><msup><mrow><mfenced><mrow><mfenced><mrow><mi>a</mi><mi>E</mi><mi>C</mi><msup><mi>e</mi><mn>2</mn></msup><mo>+</mo><mi>b</mi><mi>E</mi><mi>C</mi><mi>e</mi><mo>+</mo><mi>c</mi></mrow></mfenced><mo>+</mo><mfenced><mrow><mi>d</mi><msup><mi>T</mi><mn>2</mn></msup><mo>+</mo><mi>e</mi><mi>T</mi><mo>+</mo><mi>f</mi></mrow></mfenced></mrow></mfenced></mrow><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>. The results concerning the measurement of different VWC levels via these sensors and the proposed L&O correction equation were compared with the corresponding actual VWC values determined by gravimetric methods. It was found that this empirical equation reduced the differences in the RMSE between the sensor readings for the VWC and the actual VWC from 0.072 and 0.252 to 0.030 and 0.030 m<sup>3</sup> m<sup>−3</sup> for 1 and 5 dS m<sup>−1</sup>, respectively, with respect to the EC’s influence at 25 °C and reduced the RMSE from 0.053 and 0.098 to 0.007 and 0.011 at 3 and 50 °C, respectively, regarding the effect of the temperature at EC 2.42 dS m<sup>−1</sup> at different levels of the actual VWC values.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/1/51ECH2O-5TE sensorsL&O correction equationirrigation water managementsoil moisture sensorswater conservationnew empirical equation |
| spellingShingle | Ibrahim I. Louki Abdulrasoul M. Al-Omran Calibration of Soil Moisture Sensors (ECH<sub>2</sub>O-5TE) in Hot and Saline Soils with New Empirical Equation Agronomy ECH2O-5TE sensors L&O correction equation irrigation water management soil moisture sensors water conservation new empirical equation |
| title | Calibration of Soil Moisture Sensors (ECH<sub>2</sub>O-5TE) in Hot and Saline Soils with New Empirical Equation |
| title_full | Calibration of Soil Moisture Sensors (ECH<sub>2</sub>O-5TE) in Hot and Saline Soils with New Empirical Equation |
| title_fullStr | Calibration of Soil Moisture Sensors (ECH<sub>2</sub>O-5TE) in Hot and Saline Soils with New Empirical Equation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Calibration of Soil Moisture Sensors (ECH<sub>2</sub>O-5TE) in Hot and Saline Soils with New Empirical Equation |
| title_short | Calibration of Soil Moisture Sensors (ECH<sub>2</sub>O-5TE) in Hot and Saline Soils with New Empirical Equation |
| title_sort | calibration of soil moisture sensors ech sub 2 sub o 5te in hot and saline soils with new empirical equation |
| topic | ECH2O-5TE sensors L&O correction equation irrigation water management soil moisture sensors water conservation new empirical equation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/1/51 |
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