Life Sciences Commons^™

Measurement Of Soil Water Potential By Adsorption Conductivity, V. Philip Rasmussen Jr.

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Current methods of measuring soil water potential are reviewed, and the limitations of each are noted. The need for a transducer that will measure soil water potential over a wide moisture range for long periods of time is delineated. The concept of utilizing an adsorptive surface that resembles the soil in its water holding capacity as a transducer is discussed. Various designs and materials are tested for such a transducer.

All designs tested did not fulfill the requirements needed for a truly useful transducer. However, experimental results show that modification of the adsorptive surface should allow construction of a unit …