Volumetric soil moisture evaluation via radio waves propagation

Nowadays technology plays an important role in different sectors of farm management, in particular technologies based on soil moisture assessment have proven to be efficient in helping farmers who need timely techniques to determine crop water requirements. The main weakness of subsurface moisture sensing techniques is usually related both to the lack of cost-effectiveness of measurements and to unsuitable support scales with respect to the extension of the surface to be investigated. In this regard, Wireless Underground Sensor Network are increasingly used non-destructive tool specifically suitable for characterization and measurement. Wireless communication within a dense substance such as soil is, however, significantly more challenging than through air. This factor, combined with the necessity to conserve energy due to the difficulty of unearthing and recharging WUSN devices, requires that communication protocols be redesigned to be as efficient as possible. This work focuses on problem of implementing a Wireless Underground Sensor Network using LoRa technology, one of the most prominent Low Power Wide Area Network technologies, for communication. A system for monitoring soil moisture is implemented using low cost solutions and results are presented.