Averaged assessment of the soil moisture by medium-frequency dielcometry

A dielcometric method was proposed for the determination of the average soil water content with long isolated electrodes covering a significant area of an experimental plot or another object of study. It was shown that, to increase the area covered, the measuring current frequency should be decreased proportionally to the increasing electrode length. At a medium frequency (1 MHz), the ratio between the capacitive and resistive components of the soil electric conductivity and their effect on the results of the water content measurements were determined. The sensitivity of the method to the changes in the soil moisture, temperature, and the content of salts in the soil solution, as well as its stability in time, was determined using model samples. The effect of the electrode-insulation properties was revealed.