Guidance for Soil Moisture Sensor Selection: Market Analysis and Decision-Making Strategies

Monitoring soil moisture content is a critical aspect of effective irrigation scheduling. Maintaining optimal soil moisture levels is essential for plant growth and crop yield. Soil moisture monitoring can be accomplished through various methods, including the use of capacitance sensors that measure dielectric properties for volumetric water content assessments. Alternatively, traditional methods such as gravimetric sampling, primarily utilized in research, require weighing soil samples before and after drying to determine moisture content. These methods provide valuable insights for irrigation management, helping growers optimize water use and enhance crop productivity (Gu et al., 2020).