Efficient and accurate estimations of soil moisture are key for proper crop irrigation management.
Written by Department of Geography and Environmental Management graduate student Yusof Ghiasi, Water Institute member and professor of Geography and Environmental Management Claude Duguay, professor of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering Armaghan Salehian, and Department of Geography and Environmental Management graduate student Justin Murfitt
To address the need for an efficient way to measure soil moisture content for irrigation planning on smaller farms, University of Waterloo (UW) researchers conducted an experiment at the UW Environmental Reserve and evaluated the ability of GPS-Reflectometry for soil moisture content monitoring over small- and medium-sized vegetated areas using a drone. Soil water content is considered one of the most prominent drivers in agricultural management; it is of high importance for plant growth and crop yields and has an influential role in groundwater recharge. In particular, soil water content serves as a solvent and carrier of nutrients, regulates soil temperature, and empowers microorganisms to conduct their metabolic activities. With estimates showing that the agriculture sector dominates freshwater use, consuming 85-90 per cent of the total available freshwater for irrigation, irrigation practices can greatly interfere with water supplies and have significant consequences. It is vital to properly manage the irrigation of farmlands to mitigate these impacts on water.
Read the entire piece on the Global Water Futures Science Outreach website.