By Madan Sapkota, Chase M. Straw, Weston W. Floyd, and Elia Scudiero

As global demand for freshwater intensifies and the environmental impact of water use becomes more apparent, golf course superintendents face increasing pressure to manage water resources more efficiently. Conventional irrigation scheduling methods may result in overwatering or underwatering, leading to water waste and negatively affecting turfgrass health and playability. Precision irrigation has emerged as an advanced approach that applies water precisely where and when it is needed, using technologies that monitor soil moisture and optimize irrigation practices.

Accurate soil moisture data are crucial for precision irrigation, as they provide real-time information necessary for refining irrigation schedules, minimizing water waste, and maintaining healthy turfgrass. However, current sensor technologies face challenges in covering large areas like golf course fairways. While traditional methods, such as gravimetric techniques, are accurate, they are also labor-intensive and impractical for large-scale use. Time domain reflectometry (TDR) sensors, commonly used by superintendents in the United States, provide real-time data with less labor but are limited to point-specific measurements, making them less efficient for extensive areas. To overcome these limitations, new solutions are needed to improve the accuracy and reliability of soil moisture measurements over large areas, ultimately enhancing water conservation and promoting healthier turfgrass.

Read the full article in the Spring 2025 issue of Pennsylvania Turfgrass – https://theturfzone.com/ptc/?ascat=72&sub=issue&issue_id=9405&rti=true&rel=1