Smart Soil Water Sensor with Soil Impedance Detected via Edge Electromagnetic Field Induction

To address the problems in the calibration of soil water content sensors, in this study, we designed a low-cost edge electromagnetic field induction (EEMFI) sensor for soil water content measurement and proposed a normalized calibration method to eliminate the errors caused by the measurement sensor’s characteristics and improve the probe’s consistency, replaceability, and calibration efficiency. The model calibration curve-fitting coefficients of the EEMFI sensors were above 0.98, which indicated a significant correlation. The experimental results of the static and dynamic characteristics showed that the measurement range of the sensor varied from 0% to 100% saturation, measurement accuracy was within ±2%, the maximum value of the extreme difference of the stability test was 1.09%, the resolution was 0.05%, the delay time was 3.9 s, and the effective measurement diameter of the EEMFI sensor probe was 10 cm. The linear fit coefficient of determination of the results was greater than 0.99, and the maximum absolute error of the measurement results with the drying method was less than ±2%, which meets the requirements of soil water content measurement in agriculture and forestry fields. The field experiment results further showed that the EEMFI sensor can accurately respond to changes in soil water content, indicating that the EEMFI sensor is reliable.