Advanced soil moisture monitoring technology saves water

Effective use and management of precious water resources is increasingly a key concern for many countries. Two products from Agrilink offer optimization of irrigation scheduling via advanced soil moisture monitoring technology that promise vast water-savings for the environment.

AquaBlu is an intelligent domestic watering system regulator that oversees garden watering to ensure plants are never over-watered and watering is done to a pre-defined soil wetness level. The system consists of a sensor that accurately measures the wetness of the soil and is cabled to a smart controller, which is connected to the watering system controller. It oversees the scheduled watering program and determines whether watering is needed. If the sensor reads that the soil is dry then normal watering is carried out, but if the sensor reads that the soil is already wet then watering is suspended to prevent unnecessary water use. The system easily connects with most domestic and urban automatic watering systems and the soil moisture level is controlled via a simple dial setting on the AquaBlu regulator. Multi-zone installations ensure correct watering where different plants have different watering requirements and the easy installation of the sensor to any required depth means it is ideal for monitoring the soil moisture levels of shallow-rooted plants, such as grass.

The Aquaspy is a multi-probe technology, ideal for golf, turf, commercial (cotton, viticulture, horticulture, tree crops, vegetables, and pasture and broad acre applications), government and residential applications. Easy to use and durable, the system challenges the inefficiencies of traditional methods of irrigation with a simple ‘plug and play’ technology. A radical new design for both above ground and subsurface installation delivers improvements in both sensor accuracy and reliability. A sensor every 4 inches (10cm) provides comprehensive information on soil water dynamics, enabling irrigation to be matched to crop water requirements for improved yield, quality and enhanced water sustainability.

The payback for the customer for use of these products is a potential reduction in water use for irrigation of anything from 20-70% depending on the application. The technologies are robust, flexible and cost efficient. Created in Australia in conjunction with design firm Tiller + Tiller, both the AquaSpy and AquaBlu have international distribution in the US, New Zealand, Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Spain, the Middle East, China, India and Europe.