Developing irrigation management strategies for urban trees using soil moisture sensing technology

摘要

The City of Melbourne has a large population of street and boulevard trees, which provide an important element of the style and charm of the city. While irrigation is available for most of these trees, the decisions involved in the provision of supplementary water are often based on only a rudimentary understanding of the variables involved. The potential for soil moisture technology to aid in the decision making process has been investigated in this project. Two types of "sensors, a portable capacitance "Gopher" sensor and in situ granular matrix "Watermark" sensors, were used to obtain valuable information on several mature Elm trees. The variability of water distribution around mature urban trees was demonstrated and also the importance of the various root zones in terms of variable water extraction. The limitations of sprinkler irrigation in providing water to the lower roots of these trees were also demonstrated.