FABRICATION OF AN ELECTRONIC SOIL MOISTURE SENSOR FOR EFFICIENT WATER MANAGEMENT IN CROP PRODUCTION
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2026-08-19
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This research presents the development and evaluation of an electronic soil moisture sensor designed to measure soil moisture content in a practical and accurate manner. The sensor utilizes a resistive sensing mechanism, where changes in soil moisture affect the electrical resistance between two probes, resulting in a corresponding voltage output. To ensure accuracy, the sensor was calibrated using a gravimetric method, where soil samples were weighed before and after oven drying to determine the moisture content percentage.
The sensor demonstrated a linear relationship between soil moisture content and voltage output, with a high degree of accuracy and repeatability. The sensor employs a resistive sensing mechanism, where changes in soil moisture alter the electrical resistance between two embedded probes resulting in a corresponding voltage output.
The sensor was constructed using two galvanized nails as the sensing probes, a 10k ohm resistor and a 5v power supply. Testing was conducted using soil samples prepared at five moisture levels that’s 0,25,50,75 and 100% moisture content by weight. Results showed that the sensor could clearly distinguish between dry soil and moist soil
Description
Undergraduate research