Soil Sensors

Soil moisture content is highly variable. Accuracy from a single site isn't enough to run an experiment. To make good soil water content measurements, you need research quality soil moisture probes and you need a lot of them.

Decagon's soil moisture sensors are research grade probes at a price that lets you completely characterise your site.

Plug-and-log with the Em50 line of data loggers or integrate into other logger systems (including Campbell Scientific).

	Analogue		Digital
EC-5	10HS	5TM	5TE	GS3	MPS-2
Volumetric water content	Volumetric water content, dielectric permittivity	Volumetric water content, temperature	Volumetric water content, dielectric permittivity, temperature, electrical conductivity	Volumetric water content, dielectric permittivity, temperature, electrical conductivity	Water potential
0.3 L	1 L	0.3 L	0.3 L	0.3 L	N/A
Em5b, Em50, Em50R, ProCheck, Campbell Scientific	Em5b, Em50, Em50R, ProCheck, Campbell Scientific	Em50, Em50R, ProCheck	Em50, Em50R, ProCheck, Campbell Scientific	Em50, Em50R, Em50G, ProCheck, SDI-12	Em5b, Em50, Em50R, ProCheck, Campbell Scientific
0-100% VWC	0-53% VWC	0-100% VWC 40-50°C	0-100% VWC 40-50°C 0-23dS/m	0-100% VWC 40-50°C 0-23dS/m	-5 to -500kPa (pF1.71 to pF3.71)
VWC is all you need. You're establishing a large sensor network	You want large volume of influence	You have high temperature variability in your soils. You are monitoring shallow or desert soils where data must be corrected for temperature effects.	You are managing salts in your system.	You are measuring water content of soilless substrates. You need high accuracy EC.	You want to compare soil moisture at different research sites. You want to determine water available for plant growth. You are monitoring deficit irrigation.
You cannot apply a regulated voltage (only applies to non-Decagon data loggers).	You are measuring in nursery pots. You are installing in rocky soil.	N/A	You want to monitor soiless substrates or potting soils.	You are doing downhole installations.	You want to monitor soils at or near field capacity.