In the heart of Italy, researchers at the University of Basilicata have been fine-tuning a system that could revolutionize how we monitor and manage water resources in agriculture and environmental sectors. Alessandro Comegna, leading the charge from the Department of Agricultural Forestry Food and Environmental Sciences (DAFE), has been working on SHYPROM, an IoT-based system designed to provide real-time, high-resolution measurements of soil moisture, matric potential, and hydraulic conductivity at various soil depths. The recent upgrades to this system promise to enhance the accuracy and robustness of soil moisture estimates, potentially reshaping precision irrigation and water resource management.
The upgraded SHYPROM system integrates capacitive soil moisture and matric potential sensors with wireless communication modules and a cloud-based data processing platform. “The key improvement lies in the enhanced capacitive module, now operating at 60 MHz, a significant leap from the previous 600 kHz,” Comegna explains. This upgrade allows the system to capture dynamic soil moisture changes with greater accuracy, a critical factor for effective water management.
The system’s potential commercial impacts are substantial. In agriculture, precise soil moisture monitoring can lead to optimized irrigation schedules, reducing water waste and improving crop yields. This is particularly relevant in regions facing water scarcity and climate-related challenges. “By providing continuous, high-resolution data, SHYPROM can support precision irrigation management, optimizing water resource allocation and contributing to environmental monitoring,” Comegna notes.
The upgraded system has undergone rigorous testing through laboratory experiments on soils with varying textures. The results are promising, with the system demonstrating its ability to predict soil moisture values with high accuracy. Evaporation experiments further validated the system’s performance, confirming its ability to capture the temporal evolution of soil water status.
The implications for the energy sector are also noteworthy. Efficient water management is crucial for energy production, particularly in industries like hydropower and thermoelectric power plants. By providing accurate, real-time data on soil water status, SHYPROM can aid in the sustainable management of water resources, ensuring a reliable supply for energy production.
The research, published in the journal ‘Sensors’ (translated to ‘Sensors’ in English), represents a significant step forward in soil monitoring technology. As water scarcity and climate-related challenges continue to grow, systems like SHYPROM will play an increasingly vital role in sustainable water resource management. The future developments in this field could see SHYPROM and similar systems becoming standard tools in agriculture and environmental monitoring, driving forward the precision and efficiency of water management practices.