New sensor measures water loss from plants and soil

CropX has launched what it says is a first-of-its-kind sensor for monitoring the real-time plant water use in a field through evapotranspiration (ET).

This new, above-canopy sensor connects to the CropX agronomic farm management system to give its users ‘unprecedented’ knowledge of crop water use and needs, allowing for data-driven irrigation scheduling and remote management that maximizes water efficiency.

Available in both New Zealand and Australia, the Actual ET can reduce irrigation water by up to 50 per cent for CropX system users, while still protecting and even improving their productivity, the company says.

The launch follows CropX’s 2022 acquisition of Tule Technologies, a California-based company that developed the patented technology.

CropX has continued to refine it and developed a version that can be mounted on a centre pivot.

“It is exciting to bring evapotranspiration sensing to NZ and Australia and the rest of the region, as we expand the universe of tools for effectively managing water, the most valuable natural resource we have,” says Eitan Dan, managing director of CropX Australasia.

The CropX Actual ET sensor can be used alongside soil moisture sensors to gain a complete picture of water use in a field.

It can also be an alternative to a soil moisture sensor when rocky soils make an in-ground soil moisture sensor challenging.

Regional evapotranspiration values are commonly used by farmers to estimate how much and when to irrigate, but the CropX option offers the first measurement that covers a specific field on a daily basis.

This specificity can reveal microclimate differences, crop stage water uptake differences, and can provide an early detection method for crop stress, the company says.

CropX’s agronomic farm management system links sensors in fields and satellite data with cloud-based advanced agronomic analytics.

The system delivers field, weather, and crop data and recommendations via mobile or desktop app.

CropX’s soil sensors collect data that is transformed into helpful visualizations and advisory insights that guide the timing and amount of irrigation, fungal disease crop protection, and planting and harvest dates, while acting as a recording repository for on-farm management activities.

Dairy Holdings, a NZ dairy collective that covers over 20,000 hectares, has used CropX as a key tool to reduce irrigation use by 30 per cent while improving the quality and quantity of their yield.