Design and calibration of a low-cost SDI-12 soil moisture sensor

Water is the main limiting factor in agricultural production as well as a scarce resource that needs to be optimized. The measurement of soil water with sensors is an efficient way for optimal irrigation management. However, commercial sensors are still too expensive for most farmers. This paper pre...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: González Teruel, Juan Domingo, Torres Sánchez, Roque, Blaya Ros, Pedro José, Toledo Moreo, Ana Belén, Jiménez Buendía, Manuel, Soto Vallés, Fulgencio
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena(UPCT)
Repositorio:Repositorio Digital UPCT
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.upct.es:10317/13232
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10317/13232
https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/3/491
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:soil moisture
Precision Agriculture
sensor calibration
SDI-12
volumetric water content
capacitive sensor
dielectric measurement
Smart Agriculture
Ingeniería Agroforestal
3311.07 Instrumentos Electrónicos
3307.03 Diseño de Circuitos
3103 Agronomía
Descripción
Sumario:Water is the main limiting factor in agricultural production as well as a scarce resource that needs to be optimized. The measurement of soil water with sensors is an efficient way for optimal irrigation management. However, commercial sensors are still too expensive for most farmers. This paper presents the design, development and calibration of a new capacitive low-cost soil moisture sensor that incorporates SDI-12 communication, allowing one to select the calibration equation for different soils. The sensor was calibrated in three different soils and its variability and accuracy were evaluated. Lower but cost-compensated accuracy was observed in comparing it with commercial sensors. Field tests have demonstrated the temperature influence on the sensor and its capability to efficiently detect irrigation and rainfall events.