Environmental monitoring of Earth from space has provided invaluable information for understanding the land-atmosphere water and energy exchanges. However, the use of satellite observations in hydrologic applications is often limited by coarse space-time resolutions. This study aims to develop a data assimilation system that integrates remotely-sensed precipitation and soil moisture observations into physically-based models to produce fine-scale precipitation, soil moisture, and other relevant hydrometeorological variables. This is particularly useful with the active Global Precipitation Measurement and Soil Moisture Active Passive missions. The system consists of two major components: (1) a framework for dynamic downscaling of satellite precipitation products using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with four-dimensional variational data assimilation (4D-Var) and (2) a variational data assimilation system using spatio-temporally varying background error covariance for directly assimilating satellite soil moisture data into the Noah land surface model coupled with the WRF model. The WRF 4D-Var system can effectively assimilate and downscale six-hour precipitation products of a spatial resolution of about 20 km (i.e., those derived from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Stage IV data and the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3B42 dataset) to hourly precipitation with a spatial resolution of less than 10 km. The system is able to assimilate and downscale daily soil moisture products at a gridded 36-km resolution obtained from the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission to produce hourly 4-by-4 km surface soil moisture forecasts with a reduction of mean absolute error by 35% on average. The results from the system with coupled components show that assimilation of the TRMM 3B42 precipitation improves the quality of both downscaled precipitation and soil moisture analyses, while the effect of SMOS soil moisture data assimilation is largely on the soil moisture analyses. The downscaled WRF precipitation, with and without assimilation of TRMM precipitation, was preliminarily tested with a spatially distributed simulation of streamflow using the TIN (Triangular Irregular Network)-based Real-time Integrated Basin Simulator (tRIBS).

]The scale difference between point in situ soil moisture measurements and low resolution satellite products limits the quality of any validation efforts in heterogeneous regions. Cosmic Ray Neutron Probes (CRNP) could be an option to fill the scale gap between both systems, as they provide area-average soil moisture within a 150-250 m radius footprint. In this study, we evaluate differences and similarities between CRNP observations, and surface soil moisture products from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2), the METOP-A/B Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT), the Soil Moisture Active and Passive (SMAP), the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS), as well as simulations from the Global Land Data Assimilation System Version 2 (GLDAS2). Six CRNPs located on five continents have been selected as test sites: the Rur catchment in Germany, the COSMOS sites in Arizona and California (USA), and Kenya, one CosmOz site in New SouthWales (Australia), and a site in Karnataka (India). Standard validation scores as well as the Triple Collocation (TC) method identified SMAP to provide a high accuracy soil moisture product with low noise or uncertainties as compared to CRNPs. The potential of CRNPs for satellite soil moisture validation has been proven; however, biomass correction methods should be implemented to improve its application in regions with large vegetation dynamics.

SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) is ESA's Earth Explorer series satellite carrying the novel MIRAS (Microwave Imaging Radiometer with Aperture Synthesis) interferometric synthetic aperture radar. Its objective is monitoring and studying the planet's water cycle by following the changes in soil moisture levels and ocean surface salt concentrations on a global scale. The success of the mission calls for nearly uninterrupted operation of the science payload. However, the instrument experiences sporadically problems with its hardware, which cause losses of scientific data and may require intervention from ground to resolve. The geographical areas in which most of these anomalies occur, polar regions and the South-Atlantic anomaly, give cause to assume these problems are caused by charged particles in the planet's ionosphere. In this thesis, methods of predicting occurrence of hardware anomalies from indicators of Earth radiation environment are investigated.

<p>Society-induced changes to the environment are altering the effectiveness of existing management strategies for sustaining natural and agricultural ecosystem productivity. At the watershed scale, natural and agro-ecosystems represent complex spatiotemporal stochastic processes. In time, they respond to random rainfall events, evapotranspiration and other losses that are spatially variable because of heterogeneities in soil properties, root distributions, topography, and other factors. To quantify the environmental impact of anthropogenic activities, it is essential that we characterize the evolution of space and time patterns of ecosystem fluxes (e.g., energy, water, and nutrients). Such a characterization then provides a basis for assessing and managing future anthropogenic risks to the sustainability of ecosystem productivity.</p><p>To characterize the space and time evolution of watershed scale processes, this dissertation introduces a mean field approach to watershed hydrology. Mean field theory (also known as self-consistent field theory) is commonly used in statistical physics when modeling the space-time behavior of complex systems. The mean field theory approximates a complex multi-component system by considering a lumped (or average) effect of all individual components acting on a single component. Thus, the many body problem is reduced to a one body problem. For watershed hydrology, a mean field theory reduces the numerous point component effects to more tractable watershed averages resulting in a consistent method for linking the average watershed fluxes (evapotranspiration, runoff, etc.) to the local fluxes at each point.</p><p>The starting point for this work is a general point description of the soil moisture, rainfall, and runoff system. For this system, we find the joint PDF that describes the temporal variability of the soil water, rainfall, and runoff processes. Since this approach does not account for the spatial variability of runoff, we introduce a probabilistic storage (ProStor) framework for constructing a lumped (unit area) rainfall-runoff response from the spatial distribution of watershed storage. This framework provides a basis for unifying and extending common event-based hydrology models (e.g. Soil Conservation Service curve number (SCS-CN) method) with more modern semi-distributed models (e.g. Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model, the Probability Distributed (PDM) model, and TOPMODEL). In each case, we obtain simple equations for the fractions of the different source areas of runoff, the spatial variability of runoff and soil moisture, and the average runoff value (i.e., the so-called runoff curve). Finally, we link the temporal and spatial descriptions with a mean field approach for watershed hydrology. By applying this mean field approach, we upscale the point description with the spatial distribution of soil moisture and parameterize the numerous local interactions related to lateral fluxes of soil water in terms of its average. With this approach, we then derive PDFs that represent the space and time distribution of soil water and associated watershed fluxes such as evapotranspiration and runoff.</p> / Dissertation

A major uncertainty in soil carbon studies is how inputs of fresh plant-derived carbon affect the turnover of existing soil organic matter (SOM) by so-called priming effects. Priming may occur directly as a result of nutrient mining by existing microbial communities, or indirectly via microbial population adjustments. Soil type and conditions may also influence the intensity and direction of priming effects. However the mechanisms are poorly understood. The objectives of this study were (1) to investigate how additions of labile C4 substrate affected SOM turnover in two contrasting unplanted C3 soils (clayey fertile from Temple Balsall, Warwickshire (TB) and sandy acid from Shuttleworth, Bedfordshire (SH) using13 C isotope shifts; (2) to investigate the influence of rhizodeposition from plant roots on SOM turnover in the same two soils planted with a C4 grass; (3) to assess an automated field system for measuring soil temperature, moisture and photosynthesis sensitivities of SOM turnover in the same two soils over diurnal to seasonal time scales. I used a combination of laboratory incubation, glasshouse and field experiments. In the soil incubation experiment, I made daily applications of either a maize root extract or sucrose to soil microcosms at rates simulating grassland rhizodeposition, and followed soil respiration (Rs) and its δ13 C over 19 days. I inferred the extent of priming from the δ13 C of Rs and the δ13 C of substrate and soil end-members. There were positive priming effects in both soils in response to the two substrates. In the SH soil there were no differences in priming effects between the substrates. However in the TB soil, sucrose produced greater priming effects than maize root extract, and priming effects with sucrose increased over time whereas with maize root extract declined after the first week. I explain these effects in terms of the greater fertility of the TB soil and resulting greater microbial nitrogen mineralization induced by priming. Because the maize root extract contained some nitrogen, over time microbial nitrogen requirements were satisfied without priming whereas with sucrose the nitrogen demand increased over time. In the glasshouse experiment, I planted C4 Kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum) in pots with the same two soils. The extent of rhizodeposition by the plants was altered by intermittently clipping the grass in half the pots (there were also unplanted controls) and priming effects were inferred from the δ13 C of Rs and the δ13 C of plant and soil end-members. Unclipped plants in both soils generated positive priming effects, while clipping reduced priming in TB soil and produced negligible PEs in SH soil. Microbial nutrient mining of SOM again explained the observed PEs in this experiment. Photosynthesis was a major driver of priming effects in the planted systems. In the third experiment, I found that the tested automated chamber system provided reliable measurements of Rs and net ecosystem exchange (NEE), and it was possible to draw relations for the dependency of Rs and NEE on key environmental drivers. Collectively, the results contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms of priming effects and highlight possibilities for further research. The methods developed here will allow high temporal and spatial resolution measurements of Rs and NEE under field conditions, using stable isotope methods to separate fluxes into plant- and soil-derived components. Keywords: Soil respiration, soil moisture, soil temperature, Isotope ratio, maize root, flux chamber, climate change, organic matter, rhizodeposition.

No Brasil, a alta produtividade das plantações florestais tem despertado grande interesse em relação à nutrição das árvores. Diante disso, este trabalho tratou de 2 estudos sobre a absorção de nutrientes pelas árvores de Eucalyptus grandis. O primeiro avaliou o potencial de absorção de N, K e Ca pelas árvores de E. grandis (6 anos de idade - 25 m de altura média) em função da profundidade, da textura e da umidade do solo. Através de tubos de plástico, aplicou-se conjuntamente os marcadores NO3 --15N, Rb+ (análogo ao K+) e Sr2+ (análogo ao Ca2+) nas profundidades de 10, 50, 150 e 300 cm, num Latossolo vermelho textura média e num Latossolo vermelho argiloso. Utilizou-se o delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado com 3 repetições de pares de árvores por profundidade de injeção e por tipo de solo. Após a injeção dos marcadores nas quatro profundidades, coletou-se dessas árvores folhas recém expandidas em vários períodos do verão, sendo o experimento repetido no período do inverno. O conteúdo de água foi monitorado continuamente em diferentes profundidades dos dois solos. A partir das quatro profundidades de injeção dos marcadores, a determinação das concentrações foliares de Rb, de Sr e da percentagem de átomo de 15N permitiu estimar a potencial absorção relativa (PAR) e a potencial absorção relativa específica (PARE), definida na divisão da PAR pela densidade de raízes finas em cm cm-3 (DRF), na camada de solo correspondente. O segundo, através de microeletrôdos seletivos de íons, mediu os fluxos de NH4 +, NO3 -, K+ e H+ (nmol m-2 s-1) em soluções de NH4NO3 (50 µM) e KNO3 (50 µM). Os microeletrôdos foram posicionados ao longo da raiz desde a ponta (0 cm) até 0,5; 1,0; 1,5; 2,0; 3,0; 5,0; e 8,0 cm de distância da ponta da raiz. Os fluxos foram medidos na raiz fina de 4 mudas de E. grandis que permaneceram numa solução pré-tratamento menos concentrada (50 µM) e na raiz fina de 4 mudas que permaneceram numa solução pré-tratamento mais concentrada (500 µM). No primeiro estudo, os resultados sugeriram que as raízes finas de E. grandis apresentaram um contraste entre as taxas potenciais de absorção e a profundidade, dependendo do nutriente. No segundo estudo, a tendência de maior absorção K+ e NH4 + em relação ao NO3 - pôde ter ocorrido devido às células das raízes de E. grandis serem mais permeáveis ao K+ e a forma preferencial de absorção de nitrogênio desta espécie ser o NH4 +. Os padrões distintos de absorção de NH4 +, K+ e NO3 -, desde a ponta da raiz das mudas de E. grandis até 8 cm de distância, puderam resultar das diferenças morfológicas, como: maior absorção de íons entre a zona de diferenciação e elongação celular das raízes e a zona de maturação celular (zona branca até 2 cm de distância da ponta); e diminuição da absorção na zona em que as células do córtex começaram a morrer ou já estavam mortas (zona escura entre 2 e 8 cm de distância da ponta da raiz). / The high productivity of forest plantations in Brazil has attracted great interest in relation to the nutritional aspect of trees. Therefore, this work deals with two studies on nutrient uptake by trees of Eucalyptus grandis. The first assessed the potential uptake of N, K and Ca by E. grandis trees (6 years of age 25 m mean height), in Brazil, as a function of soil depth, texture and water content. We injected NO3 --15N, Rb+ (analogue of K+) and Sr2+ (analogue of Ca2+) tracers simultaneously in a solution through plastic tubes at 10, 50, 150 and 300 cm in depth in a sandy and a clayey Ferralsol soil. A complete randomized design was set up with 3 replicates of paired trees per injection depth and soil type. Recently expanded leaves were sampled at various times after tracer injection in the summer, and the experiment was repeated in the winter. Soil water contents were continuously monitored at the different depths in the two soils. Determination of foliar Rb and Sr concentrations and 15N atom% made it possible to estimate the relative uptake potential (RUP) of tracer injections from the four soil depths and the specific relative uptake potential (SRUP), defined as RUP, per unit of fine root length density (RLD) in the corresponding soil layer. The second, in solutions of NH4NO3 (50 µM) and KNO3 (50 µM) were measured the flows of NH4 +, NO3 -, K+ and H+ (nmol m-2 s-1) through microelectrodes selective ions. Along the root, the microelectrodes were positioned at the root tip (0 cm) to 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, 5.0, and 8.0 cm away of the root tip. The flows were measured in fine roots of 4 E. grandis seedlings that remained in a pretreatment solution less concentrated (50 µM) and fine root of 4 seedlings that remained in pretreatment solution more concentrated (500 µM) through ion selective microelectrode. In the first study, the results suggest that the fine roots of E. grandis trees exhibit contrasting potential uptake rates with depth depending on the nutrient. In the second, the trend towards greater uptake K+ and NH4 + in relation to NO3 - may be due to the root cells of E. grandis are more permeable to K+ and to the preferred form of nitrogen absorption of this species is NH4 +. The different absorptions patterns of NH4 +, K+ and NO3 - along the roots of E. grandis seedlings from the root tip up to 8 cm away can be the result of morphological differences, such as higher absorption of ions between the zone of cell differentiation and elongation of the roots and cell maturation zone (white zone up to 2 cm away from tip), and decreased absorption in the area where the cortical cells start dying or already are dead (dark zone between 2 and 8 cm away from the root tip).

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-21T14:19:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Joao Alexandre Cruz.pdf: 7505097 bytes, checksum: 227ae1f1c6b1c1dd753fb648adc79f93 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-09-05 / The knowledge and control of soil properties in gricultural cultivation, obtained from sensors at automated system, extend the possibilities of increasing the results of a culture. This work aims to develop an electrical measure sensor at low cost to determinethe soil moisture, test and evaluate the correlation between the readings and gravimetric soil moisture, considered standard to calibratethe other methods. To achieve the proposed objective, in the first place we sought to study the main aspects of the interaction process water-soil-plant and the existing methods of determination. Subsequently, we performed the fabrication of prototype sensors in different shapes and geometry. We have also developed a measurement and record systemthat enables us to collect the data and to store them in a memory card. Having the operation of the sensors as a beginning, the concept of capacitance is obtained by the effect of the electric field, the charge of two plates insulated by a dielectric material, which, therefore, in this study is the soil moisture. Thus, when there is a variation in the dielectric constant, depending on the amount of water present in it, the capacitance of the system will also vary. Finally, tests were performed to evaluate the sensors and circuitry construction. The results were satisfactory, with a correlation coefficient of 99.14% for a non conventional coplanar plates sensor. / O conhecimento e controle das propriedades do solono cultivo agrícola, obtidos a partir de sensores em sistema automatizado, ampliam as possibilidades de incremento dos resultados de uma cultura. Este trabalho tem por objetivo desenvolver um sensor de medidas elétricas e de baixo custo, para determinação da umidade do solo; testar e avaliar a correlação entre as leituras e a umidade gravimétrica do solo, considerada padrão para a calibração de outros métodos. Para alcançar o objetivo proposto, buscou-se, em primeiro lugar, o estudo dos principais aspectos relacionados ao processo de interação água-solo-planta e os métodos de determinação existentes. Posteriormente, efetuou-se a confecção de protótipos de sensores em diferentes formatos e geometria. Foi também desenvolvido um sistema de medida e registro que permite a coleta dos dados e armazenamento num cartão de memória. Tendo como princípio o funcionamento dos sensores, o conceito de capacitância, que é obtido pelo efeito do campo elétrico, da carga de duas placas isoladas por um material dielétrico, que neste estudo é o solo com umidade. Assim, quando há variação na constante dielétrica, em função da quantidade de água presente nele, a capacitância do sistema também irá variar.Por fim, realizaram-se os ensaios para avaliar os sensores e circuitos construídos. Os resultados obtidos foram satisfatórios, apresentando coeficiente de determinação de 99,14% para um sensor de placas coplanares não-convencional. létrico, capacitância, umidade do solo, sensor, arduino.

A agricultura moderna sofre grande impacto da mecanização devido ao aumento do tráfego e do peso do maquinário. A cana-de-açúcar (Saccharum officinarum L.) é uma cultura altamente mecanizada e, devido ao tempo de sua permanência no campo, o solo fica muito suscetível à compactação, processo dependente de diversos fatores intrínsecos e extrínsecos deste, podendo ser revertido através de técnicas, como subsolagem ou aração profunda. Porém, tais técnicas geram altos gastos de energia e capital, sendo que alguns manejos, como o controle do tráfego agrícola, contribuem para diminuição da carga exercida sobre o solo e dos custos de produção. Diversos aparelhos foram desenvolvidos para a apuração de atributos do solo diretamente no campo, visando averiguar áreas a serem manejadas por causa da compactação. A penetrometria é uma técnica muito utilizada na verificação de áreas com problemas de compactação, entretanto, existem diversos penetrômetros, que possuem modos de atuação diferenciados. Os objetivos deste estudo foram verificar a eficiência de dois penetrômetros com diferentes modos de introdução da haste metálica no solo (automático e manual) e a correlação dos índices obtidos (resistência à penetração) com outros atributos do solo (teor de água). Os resultados comprovaram que o teor de água no solo altera os resultados de resistência a penetração e a utilização de equações de regressão não linear expressam bem a relação entre estes dois atributos do solo, podendo ser utilizado para correção dos dados antes da comparação de diferentes sistemas de manejo. O ajuste das medições de resistência de acordo com o teor de água no solo diminuiu o intervalo de confiança da média na comparação de diferentes manejos, o que melhora a comparação de atributos que apresentam alta variabilidade, como a resistência do solo a penetração. Os dois métodos de utilização do penetrômetro (Manual e Automático) apresentaram diferenças significativas nas medições, de modo que houve uma tendência das medições manuais superestimarem os valores de resistência. / Modern agriculture has suffered a large impact of mechanization due to increased of traffic and the weight of the machinery. The sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) crop is highly mechanized and, since it is a semi perennial crop, the soil is very susceptible to compaction, a process dependent on a number of intrinsic and extrinsic factors that can be reversed through techniques, such as deep tillage or subsoiling. However, these techniques are expensive, and some crop managements, such as traffic control, contribute to reduction of production costs and the load on the soil. Several devices have been developed for the determination of soil attributes in the field, aiming to determine areas to be managed because of compaction. The penetrometer is a widely used equipment in the verification of areas with compaction problems. However, there are several penetrometers, which have different action mode. The objective of this study was to verify the efficiency of two penetrometers with two modes of introduction of the metal rod into the soil (automatic and manual) and the correlation of obtained data (penetration resistance) with soil water content. Results showed that the soil moisture modify the penetration resistance data and the use of non-linear regression equations express well the relationship between these two soil properties and can be used for correction of the data before comparing different management systems. The modeling of soil resistance measurements with soil moisture decreased confidence interval of the mean in the comparison of different management systems, which improves the comparison of attributes that have high variability, as the soil resistance to penetration. The two penetrometers methods (manual and automatic) showed significant differences in data measurements, showing a tendency for manual measurements overestimate the values of soil resistance.

A cause du développement du smart farming, des études sont à mener sur la distribution de l’instrumentation pour mesurer l’état hydrique du sol en vue de contrôler l’irrigation. Dans le cadre du projet IRRIS, nous réalisons un capteur d’humidité du sol intelligent. Nous allons tout d’abord réaliser le corps d’épreuve de ce capteur. Nous choisissons une mesure capacitive pour obtenir un capteur réactif malgré un coût de réalisation faible. Le corps est cylindrique pour pouvoir être inséré facilement dans le sol. Les électrodes sont réalisées par dépôt électrochimique de cuivre sur ce cylindre plastique. Nous concevons ensuite l’électronique de mesure associée à ce corps. Pour cela, nous comparons deux solutions, l’une analogique et l’autre logicielle. Puis nous assemblons notre capteur suivant deux modes, le multi capteur ou le mono capteur. Nous réalisons à cette étape la création du réseau de capteurs à l’aide de communication sans fil située dans la bande ISM 868MHz et nous la caractérisons. Enfin, nous observons les résultats de trois campagnes de mesures dans des champs cultivés pour valider le fonctionnement sur différents types de sols et de cultures. Ces travaux aboutissent donc à la création d’un capteur permettant la mesure de l’humidité du sol avec un coût réduit par rapport aux capteurs industriel déjà existant. Les expérimentations sur site montrent sa facilité d’insertion ainsi que son bon fonctionnement. / Owing to the development of the smart farming, some new studies need to be lead on a distributed instrumentation to measure soil moisture to control the irrigation.In the project IRRIS context, we realize a smart soil moisture sensor. First, we have to realize the sensing element of this sensor. We choose a capacitive detection to get a reactive sensor despite low cost. The body is a cylinder to be easily buried in the soil. The electrodes are made by electrochemical deposition on the plastic tube. Then, we design the measurement electronic. We compare two solutions, one with discrete components and the other software on embedded microcontroller. We submit those electronics at thermic variations to observe their comportment to create the law of compensation. Next we assemble the sensor according to two ways. The first, the multi sensor, forces the depths of sensing but reduces the costs by pooling the measurement electronic. The second, the mono sensor, frees the choice of depth but multiplies the number of sensors. We create at this step the sensor network thanks a wireless communication placed on 868MHz, an ISM band that we characterize in terms of range depending on the flow rate to optimize this communication. Finally, we observe the results of three measurement campaigns to validate the operating for different soil and cultures.This study ends in the realization of a sensor to measure soil moisture with a reduced cost relative to the industrial sensor on the market. Experiments prove its ease of use as well as its proper functioning.

No contexto atual, no qual os recursos hídricos tornam-se cada vez mais limitantes, a utilização da água pela agricultura precisa ser mais eficiente visando à manutenção dos níveis atuais de produtividade. Uma vez implantado o equipamento de irrigação, o produtor necessita de uma estratégia de gerenciamento que defina o momento certo e a quantidade de água adequada para atender às necessidades hídricas da cultura. Uma ferramenta muito utilizada para esse fim é o balanço hídrico, pelo qual são contabilizadas as entradas e saídas de água do sistema, permitindo que se obtenha a quantidade a ser aplicada visando à utilização racional do recurso e o desenvolvimento adequado da cultura. Entretanto, muitas vezes o acompanhamento da quantidade de água disponível às plantas somente pelo balanço hídrico pode apresentar erros cumulativos, o que torna importante, a cada determinado intervalo de tempo, realizar-se medições da umidade do solo para fins de ajuste. O medidor Speedy, baseado no processo de formação do gás acetileno a partir da reação da água com carbureto de cálcio, pode ser utilizado de forma conjugada ao balanço hídrico por fornecer resultados rápidos com adequada precisão, ser portátil e de fácil manuseio. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi automatizar a leitura de um aparelho Speedy, integrando-o a um programa desenvolvido de manejo da irrigação. Foram desenvolvidos quatro sistemas baseados na leitura automatizada da umidade pelo aparelho, cada um com diferente grau de complexidade e aplicação. Dois testes foram realizados com os sistemas, o primeiro em laboratório e o segundo em campo, nos quais determinações de umidade pelo Speedy e pelo método gravimétrico foram comparadas. Os resultados foram submetidos a analise de correlação e regressão, determinando-se os índices de precisão (r) e exatidão (d). Tanto nos testes em laboratório quanto no em campo, os índices obtidos foram satisfatórios. Os sistemas funcionaram de forma adequada, constituindo-se como ferramentas de auxílio para o gerenciamento da irrigação. / As water supplies become limited, agricultural water use needs to become more efficient to maintain current productivity levels. Matching the amount and rate of water application to specific soil and plant conditions, the efficiency of irrigations system can be increased. An easy way to accomplish this is using the water balance. However, the monitoring of available water content only by the water balance can generate cumulative errors, which should be removed by soil moisture determinations. The Speedy moisture tester can be used in this situation, considering that it is portable, shows the results quickly and have good precision. The visualization of its results through tables, though, reduces the functionality of its use and can confer less precision to the measurements. So, the objective of this work was to automate the equipment readings and to integrate it in water balance software. It was developed four systems to do this process, using a microcontroller. Two tests, one in the laboratory e other in the field, were realized to compare the determinations by Speedy and by gravimetrical method. The systems resulted excellent precision (r) and accuracy (d) index, and seems to become an important tool for irrigation management.