Development of a Wireless Soil Sensor Network

There are currently few sensor systems capable of measuring soil parameters at multiple points in space over time consistently and economically, and without disrupting activities at the land surface. We have developed prototype nodes of a wireless sensor network for agricultural monitoring and management. The underground nodes are capable of transmitting soil measurements of moisture at scheduled intervals. Reliable communication can be established over 20-30 meters range at the rate of 256 bits/second that is more that adequate for the application. The calculated battery life based on the energy usage per transmission is estimated over 3 years which are sufficient for long-term real-time monitoring. The data from a network of these sensors could be used to vastly improve agriculture management and environmental protection practices through a more accurate modeling of crop-growth, hydrologic flow, and carbon-nutrient cycling processes.