HUMIDITY PROBES TO OPTIMISE WATER USAGE
Monitoring in real time and continuously the variables of humidity, conductivity, temperature, nutrient concentration, etc. is of great help for correct irrigation management.
One of the technological trends to improve the efficiency of water use (understood as the production obtained in a crop per volumen of water used) and nutrient use (understood as the production obtained per amount of nutrient applied in fertigation) is the use of soil moisture probes.
Monitoring soil parameters through moisture probes helps to make better irrigation scheduling decisions, and helps to determine how much water to apply and when to apply it. The idea is to control the moisture level in the root zone to avoid both root suffocation and water stress. If the right irrigations are made and the root zone is kept in a good state of development and humidity, the crop will be able to get the maximum yield.
The main advantages of probe monitoring are:
- Savings in water consumption, by adjusting the number and timing of irrigation.
- Fertiliser savings, reducing nutrient leaching and optimising fertigation.
- Lower environmental impact and optimisation of natural resources.
Soil moisture probes are great allies for the farmer, they provide information for irrigation decisions decisions and are noy only an efficient but also an environmentally sustainable tool.
