New method accurately measures soil conductivity, improving agricultural water management.
A new method was developed to measure how easily water moves through soil when it's almost completely soaked. This method fills a gap between existing methods for dry and fully wet soil. By applying a specific pressure to a small area of soil and then draining it, researchers were able to accurately determine how fast water moves through the soil. They found that this method works well for different types of soil and gives results that match up with other established methods for measuring soil water movement.