Okwang et al. (2026) Smart Sensor‐Integrated Lysimeter System for Affordable on‐Farm Crop Water Monitoring and Irrigation Management

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Irrigation and Drainage
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-04-09
• Authors: Stephen Okwang, Younggu Her, Taeil Jang
• DOI: 10.1002/ird.70130

Research Groups

Not explicitly stated in the abstract, but the study was conducted in buckwheat fields in South Korea.

Short Summary

This study developed and field-validated a low-cost, information and communication technology (ICT)-enabled weighing lysimeter system for real-time crop water use monitoring, demonstrating its reliability and affordability for precision irrigation in buckwheat fields.

Objective

• To develop and field validate a low-cost, ICT-enabled weighing lysimeter system that integrates load cells, soil moisture sensors, and cloud-based data logging for real-time crop water use monitoring.
• To evaluate the performance and reliability of the developed system in practical field conditions for deriving crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and growth-stage crop coefficients (Kc).

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Field-scale (buckwheat fields in South Korea).
• Temporal Scale: Continuous measurements over a crop growing season, covering initial, mid-season, and late-season growth stages.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not explicitly stated as a hydrological or land surface model; the study focuses on a measurement system. Crop coefficients (Kc) were derived from measured data.
• Data sources: In-situ measurements from the developed system, including load cells (for mass change/ETc), soil moisture sensors, and cloud-based data logging.

Main Results

• The developed system successfully captured continuous measurements of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and soil moisture.
• Derived growth-stage crop coefficients (Kc) for buckwheat were 0.65 (initial), 1.05 (mid-season), and 0.73 (late-season), which were consistent with literature benchmarks.
• The system demonstrated responsiveness to fluctuations in rainfall and solar radiation.
• Fabrication costs were significantly lower compared to conventional lysimeter installations.

Contributions

• Development and field validation of a novel, low-cost, and ICT-enabled weighing lysimeter system for real-time crop water use monitoring.
• Demonstration of a reliable and affordable solution for deriving crop evapotranspiration and crop coefficients in practical field conditions.
• Provides a scalable pathway for precision irrigation and digital agriculture, particularly beneficial for smallholder and resource-limited settings.
• Extends advanced monitoring capabilities to a wider range of crops and farming systems through its modular design and Internet of Things (IoT) integration.

Funding

Not explicitly stated in the abstract.

Citation

@article{Okwang2026Smart,
  author = {Okwang, Stephen and Her, Younggu and Jang, Taeil},
  title = {Smart Sensor‐Integrated Lysimeter System for Affordable on‐Farm Crop Water Monitoring and Irrigation Management},
  journal = {Irrigation and Drainage},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1002/ird.70130},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/ird.70130}
}