Soil moisture probes are proving to be useful tools for grain growers and agronomists alike to aid in making better management decisions which include:
Looking at moisture levels in autumn to help make decisions about crop type and planting date
Tracking the data during the growing season to observe how deep rainfall events infiltrate into the sub soil
Observing where roots are active and using this information
to assist in making nitrogen topdressing decisions
Observing daily crop water use and as we move into spring
and calculating how much moisture is left in the ‘bucket’ for grain fill
Making a call on how full the soil profile is in spring to assist with late season topdressing
Predicting yield based on historic trends in crop water use in spring
(3 or more years moisture probe data is usually required for this)
Comparing and complimenting Yield Prophet
Soil Temperature is also logged by the probe which assist in crop growth models
The probes are typically buried sub-surface in order for cropping traffic operations to carry on as per normal.
A cable is channelled below the tillage depth across to a fence post where the telemetry unit and solar panel are mounted (typically with a weather station).
Information is read by the soil moisture probe on a regular basis (typically hourly) and uploaded regularly to a server where it can then be accessed via specialised software.
Sentek High Performance
Multi Function Sub Surface Probe
EnviroPro High Performance
Multi Function Sub Surface Probe
Agbyte uses soil moisture probes from the following providers:
