Soil-Specific Calibration Using Plate Compression Filling Technique and Monitoring Soil Biomass Degradation Based on Dielectric Properties

Hongjun Chen, Muhammad Awais, Linze Li, Wei Zhang, Mukhtar Iderawumi Abdulraheem, Yani Xiong, Vijaya Raghavan and Jiandong Hu ()
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Hongjun Chen: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
Muhammad Awais: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
Linze Li: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
Wei Zhang: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
Mukhtar Iderawumi Abdulraheem: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
Yani Xiong: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
Vijaya Raghavan: Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada
Jiandong Hu: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-16

Abstract: Accurate estimation of soil water content (SWC) is crucial for effective irrigation management and maximizing crop yields. Although dielectric property-based SWC measurements are widely used, their accuracy is still affected by soil variability, soil–sensor contact, and other factors, making the development of convenient and accurate soil-specific calibration methods a major challenge. This study aims to propose a plate compression filling technique for soil-specific calibrations and to monitor the extent of soil biomass degradation using dielectric properties. Before and after biodegradation, dielectric measurements of quartz sand and silt loam were made at seven different water contents with three different filling techniques. A third-order polynomial fitting equation explaining the dependence of the dielectric constant on the volumetric water content was obtained using the least-squares method. The suggested plate compression filling method has a maximum mean bias error (MBE) of less than 0.5%, according to experimental results. Depending on the water content, silt loam’s dielectric characteristics change significantly before and after biodegradation. The best water content, measured in gravimetric units, to encourage the decomposition of biomass was discovered to be 24%. It has been demonstrated that the plate compression filling method serves as a simple, convenient, and accurate alternative to the uniform compaction method, while the dielectric method is a reliable indicator for evaluating biomass degradation. This exploration provides valuable insights into the complex relationship between SWC, biomass degradation, and soil dielectric properties.

Keywords: biomass degradation; apparent dielectric constant; soil water content; dry bulk density (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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