Soil moisture measurement methods

Coaxial Impedance Dielectric Reflectometry

The Coaxial Impedance Dielectric Reflectometry (also referred to as “Ratiometric Coaxial Impedance Dielectric Reflectometry”) method of soil moisture measurement employs an oscillator to generate an electromagnetic signal that is propagated through the sensor by metal tines and into the soil. It characterizes the ratio of the amplitudes of reflected radio waves at 50 MHz with a …

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Capacitance (Charge)

Capacitance determines the dielectric constant (Ka) by measuring the charge time of a capacitor, which uses soil as a dielectric medium. The charge time of the capacitor is a linear function of the dielectric permittivity of the soil. Capacitance sensors measure the dielectric constant of the soil in order to find its water content. Since the dielectric constant of water …

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Frequency Domain Reflectometry (FDR) / Capacitance (Frequency)

Capacitance can be measured from the change in frequency of a reflected radio wave or resonance frequency (Kelleners 2004). This method of measurement uses an oscillator to propagate an electromagnetic signal through a metal tine or other wave guide. The difference between the output wave and the return wave frequency is measured to determine soil …

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