12 Reasons Why Portable Soil Probes / Sensors Should be Incorporated in Optimizing Crop Health

Soil moisture monitoring installations have gained significant attention in recent years and for a good reason. These installations are essential for effectively managing irrigation scheduling and optimizing those areas with limited water resources to meet a crop’s needs. The variability of soil types, needs of crops, terrain, and drainage profiles pose challenges that can be addressed by incorporating permanent soil monitoring installations and/or portable soil probes. The agronomists and soil hydrology experts at Stevens and SoilMoisture have identified 12 compelling reasons for incorporating portable soil moisture probes in your soil monitoring system. If you have more ideas, please contact us at info@stevenswater.com!

1. Soils are rarely uniform across a field and each soil type has a specific hydrology profile, with different saturation, field capacity, and permanent wilting points. Think of portable soil probes as a carry-on tool that can efficiently identify multiple data points across a field to help define the right moisture targets and irrigation schedule plan.
2. Touch and feel assessment of soil conditions is a common practice. A portable soil sensing system can help validate the experience in touch and feel of soil, and educate new people in the art and science of this common practice, or it can replace it altogether with a more objective measurement tool.
3. A consultant often gathers data on soil moisture, temperature, and salinity in specific locations. This information will enable well-informed recommendations and diagnoses based on quality data from permanent and portable sensors.
4. Precise knowledge regarding the moisture levels in the soil is essential to effectively determine the appropriate timing and quantity of irrigation required. Portable soil sensors can narrowly define the areas for precision irrigation scheduling.
5. Portable soil sensors can help determine the optimal location for a permanent soil moisture monitoring system. This location should possess a balanced level of moisture, neither too wet nor too dry, and enable the calculation of an irrigation schedule for the entire zone.
6. Salinity levels can be an issue and require proactive management to address excess salt buildup. Early warnings of salinity build-up can be noticed by a portable probe, preventing excessive stress on crops.
7. You have oversight of research plots with multiple trials and tracking soil moisture, soil temperature and EC/salinity are required in each plot.
8. Annual crops with short growing cycles may be hindered in their cultivation, harvest, and other practices by the presence of a permanent soil monitoring installation.
9. Easy spot checking of soil moisture, temperature, or salinity to diagnose areas with or of potential plant stress or other pathologies.
10. Assessing an irrigation system’s performance and uniformity, looking for any potential issues or irregularities in the distribution of water across all zones before the crop displays irrigation deficit stress.
11. Applications such as fumigation and pre-emergence herbicides require a minimum soil temperature to be effective. One can determine the soil temperature by digging a hole and taking a reading at the appropriate depth.
12. Many portable soil probes are linked to a mobile application that captures soil moisture and various other parameters, along with their precise GPS coordinates. These records are saved and easily linked to a program that provides visual insights, crop-specific advanced algorithms, and predictive analysis. Combining portable soil probes with data from permanent soil sensors and weather measurements provides a powerful insight into the health and performance of any crop.