Dielectric coated water content reflectometer for improved monitoring of near surface soil moisture in heavily fertilized paddy field

Mat rush (Juncus effusus L.), used for ‘Tatami’ (a traditional Japanese mat), is a type of crop requiring a large amount of fertilizer (450–600 kg ha−1 of N). In a heavily fertilized mat rush paddy field we examined the monitoring of soil water content (θ) by using the water content reflectometer (WCR). WCR sensors with and without coating rods were prepared and tested for their performance in different solutions. In addition, these sensors for Gley Lowland Soils were also calibrated for measuring θ. The results showed that the measured water content using the uncoated WCR, increasing with the EC of the solution, was 1.6 times of that for distilled water while the output for the coated WCR became 1.04 times. The coating prevents conduction losses while it influences the sensitivity of the WCR sensor. The monitoring of θ using both coated and uncoated WCR sensors in a mat rush paddy field was conducted throughout a cropping season. For the coated sensors, water content could be determined accurately even after fertilizer applications, while with the uncoated sensors it was overestimated. Thus, it was concluded that the use of insulated WCR sensors make it possible to accurately monitor the near surface soil moisture in a heavily fertilized paddy field.