Monitoring of soil EC for the prediction of soil nutrient regime under different soil water and organic matter contents

Abstract Smart farms and precision agriculture require automatic monitoring and supply of water and nutrients for crops, but sensors to monitor plant available nutrients in soil are not available. Soil electrical conductivity (EC) is related to nutrients in soil solution, which can be affected by soil organic matter, soil texture, temperature, and water content. Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate factors influencing soil EC sensor values by monitoring EC under different soil organic matter and water contents. Ten soil samples with various sand and clay contents, EC, pH, and organic matter contents were selected and saturated with water. Volumetric water content and EC of the soil were monitored while drying the soil. Humic acid and manure were added to soils in order to evaluate the effect of organic matter on soil EC. Soil EC values linearly increased with increasing water content at 10–25% which is favorable water content for plant growth. The EC increased when organic matter was added to soils, which was related to ions released from the organic matter. Soil EC calibration factor for soil water content increased when EC of the soil was high and organic matter was added. The sensor EC values in sandy loam and loam soils was related to the ion contents in pore water, and exchangeable ions in soil, respectively. Sensor EC values were highly correlated with organic matter and K contents in soil and can be used as an indicator for plant available nutrients in soil. Therefore, the sensor EC at optimal soil water content for plant growth can be used to monitor changes in plant available nutrients in soil.