L-796 Click on the image above to download a complete copy of this publication in PDF format. Download a free copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Clay soils will still have plant available water past this limit, although the most readily available water is gone. Tensiometers are soil water measuring devices that are sensitive to soil water change and useful for irrigation scheduling.
Irrigation scheduling is a process to determine when to irrigate and how much water to apply.
Applying too little or too much water in an untimely manner can result in yield reductions. Over irrigation wastes water, costs money to pump, and may leach nutrients beyond the root zone. Irrigation scheduling is important and can be achieved by monitoring soil water status with tensiometers. Plant roots undergo tension as they pull the water out of a soil matrix. Tensiometers are devices that measure the soil water tension by acting like a mechanical root.