See the highlights concerning the latest information about using soil sensors for citrus irrigation.

 

A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) group of researchers put together a publication on using soil sensors for citrus irrigation,  “Understanding soil moisture sensor data.” Citrus trees need to be watered during the dry season, and drought is always a possibility in Florida, so citrus irrigation is a must for Florida citrus growers. Explore the highlights from the publication below.

Using Soil Sensors for Citrus Irrigation

 

The following are excerpts from the publication on using soil sensors to better irrigate citrus:

  • “A soil water sensor system can provide the most reliable data for effective citrus irrigation scheduling…”
  • “The main benefit of using soil water sensors to schedule irrigation is that they improve water use efficiency and hence reduce water consumption, while contributing to deeper plant root growth and avoiding excess irrigation and nutrient leaching. By preventing over-watering, they also eliminate conditions that are favorable to some pests and fungal diseases.”
  • “Based on our experiences…we prefer to use compact TDT and TDR soil water sensor devices for our research in Florida citrus soils. These sensors have built-in temperature and salinity compensation and require no calibration, making them accurate, reliable and easy to use. These sensors are affordable, particularly when procured in bulk.”
  • “Soil water sensors can instantly provide real-time data about soil water: where the water is located in the soil, in what quantities, how fast the water content is changing and whether it is increasing or decreasing. Soil sensors provide valuable feedback of soil water conditions before, during and after irrigation or rain events and therefore help diagnose irrigation systems.”

See the full publication on CitrusIndustry.net here.

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