Laboratory and Field Assessment of the Decagon 5TE and GS3 Sensors for Estimating Soil Water Content in Saline-Alkali Reclaimed Soils

The objective of this study was to assess, under laboratory and field conditions, the performance of the Decagon 5TE and GS3 soil water sensors in estimating the soil water content of saline-alkali reclaimed land in South Korea. The error due to increased bulk soil EC was greater for the 5TE sensor than for the GS3 sensor and was greater in soil with higher bulk soil EC. Therefore, it is recommended that the soil electrical conductivity be considered in the calibration process for the 5TE. The calibration equations developed for the 5TE and GS3 sensors during laboratory experiments were highly accurate. Testing of the 5TE and GS3 sensors showed very good agreement between actual VWC and VWC calculations resulting from the field-derived calibration. These results suggest that either sensor can be used to acquire accurate soil water content data in the field.