Soil Moisture Sensors

Man stands near equipment in field — Franz inspects one of the cosmic ray neutron sensors at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center. The sensors' readings indicate soil moisture levels. Solar flares, such as those that produced the auroras in Nebraska on May 10-11, trigger electromagnetic interference in the sensors' readings. UNL has taken steps to correct the distortions and ensure data reliability. (Photo by Craig Chandler, University Communication and Marketing)

Husker Projects Advance Study of Soil Moisture, Hydrology

August 14, 2024

UNL has installed a neutron monitor — the third of its kind in the U.S. — to improve the accuracy of soil moisture readings by correcting data affected by solar activity, which is crucial for agriculture and climate monitoring.

Weekly Irrigation Newsletter: Using Soil Water Tension Sensors to Schedule Irrigation in East-central Nebraska

September 20, 2024

In the final update for this year, three Nebraska growers share comprehensive irrigation data from their study fields throughout the 2024 growing season.

Crop sensor mounted in field — **Figure 1.** Early installation of sensors helps minimize root and leaf damage and makes it easy to get around the field with the pickup or ATV to install the equipment.

The Drought of 2023 Impact on Irrigation and What We Can Learn from It

July 12, 2024

The amount and timing of irrigation applied in recent years may have very little to do with what's needed this year. Review the factors before making a decision.

Corn field under center pivot — A water-saving strategy, deficit irrigation represents an important concept in managing water use through irrigation as groundwater depletion rises across the U.S.

The Economics of Deficit Irrigation Utilizing Soil Moisture Probes

December 15, 2023

Cornhusker Economics experts examine the financial impact on producers using a deficit irrigation strategy in corn.

MICRA project team posing for photo — The University of Nebraska–Lincoln team working on the MICRA project includes (from left) Taro Mieno, agricultural economics; Daniel Schachtman, agronomy and horticulture; Saleh Taghvaeian, biological systems engineering; and Seunghee Kim, civil engineering. (Photo by Nick Kumpula, Research and Economic Development)

Nebraska Part of Interdisciplinary Team Examining Climate Resiliency Through Soil

September 28, 2023

The research team will experiment with soil amendments and biochar to measure their impact on soil water-holding capacity to find ways to improve preservation of soil moisture in farm fields.

Pivot in field — Irrigating a late season soybean field. (Photo by Steve Melvin)

Optimize Those Last Few Irrigations

August 17, 2023

Leaving the field a little drier at the end of the season can help producers save irrigation costs, decrease leaching losses, improve soil conditions for harvest traffic, save water for future years and capture more off-season precipitation.

Crop sensor — Figure 1. Early installation of sensors helps minimize root and leaf damage and makes it easy to get around the field with the pickup or ATV to install the equipment.

Study Reviews Farmer Irrigation Scheduling Tendencies in Dry Years

June 8, 2023

Many producers in Nebraska will need to irrigate in June to refill the soil profile before high water demand begins in July, but there are numerous factors to consider when calculating the appropriate irrigation amounts.

Angela Knuth and NASA members — **Figure 1.** Angela Knuth shows some of the NASA team the current technology that they use and ways that she would like to see improvements to increase efficiency on the farm.

NASA’s Earth Sciences Division Visits Nebraska Farms

September 7, 2022

The Space for Ag tour brought NASA scientists and Nebraska farmers together to collaborate on new ways NASA technology and tools can support the agriculture industry.

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