Bushfires and assessing the risk of erosion

After a long season of bushfires in Australia, many of which are still burning, it is important to look forward to recovery and regeneration. There is much to do, measure and assess. Among these is the risk of soil erosion particularly where heavy rainfall, or high winds, impact bare ground. This article was first published…

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Implexx Sap Flow Sensor: a new sap flow sensor for the digital age

A new sap flow sensor has been released by Implexx Sense! The Implexx Sap Flow Sensor is a low cost, easy to use and maintain sap flow sensor designed by scientists and engineers from the Australian company, Implexx. Implexx Sap Flow Sensor was designed with the scientists and grower in mind – it has all…

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Sap flow data show grapevines can tolerate extreme heatwave events

sap flow and heatwaves

Monitoring sap flow on grapevines during extreme heatwave events has demonstrated that vines can tolerate extreme conditions when soil moisture levels were high. These results were found via the grapevine and heatwave monitoring project in the Riverina region of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Heatwaves are “three or more days of high maximum and minimum…

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A new introductory video on sap flow

What is sap flow? Is it water or sugars in the plant? What is the difference between sap flow and transpiration? Why measure sap flow? If you are new to the world of sap flow science, then the team at Implexx and Edaphic Scientific have released a new video for you. Sap Flow: An Introduction…

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New tensiometer-style sensor for avocado growers

A new, tensiometer-style sensor is improving irrigation management and saving time and costs for avocado growers. Irrigation monitoring and scheduling often relies on tensiometers – sensors that can measure soil water potential. Tensiometers are a favourite among avocado growers but they come with a huge problem: they are extremely tedious and odious to maintain. A…

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Leaf temperature sensors and water wise research

Leaf Temperature Sensor

Plant physiologists and irrigation scientists need accurate and reliable leaf and canopy temperature sensors for scientific research. Recently, the LT-1T Leaf Temperature Sensor from Edaphic Scientific was deployed by researchers at the CSIRO for a project on irrigation management of tomato crops. The LT-1T is a small, temperature sensor that firmly clips onto a leaf.…

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Why this sensor has made the tensiometer and gypsum block obsolete

METER Group TEROS-21

New and improved technology is now available for growers that is enabling more efficient and lower cost irrigation. The technology is a significant improvement on older, tensiometer and gypsum block style sensors by requiring zero maintenance, having a higher accuracy and being more robust. The technology is called the TEROS 21 Soil Water Potential Sensor…

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Grapevines, sap flow and heatwaves

Heatwaves can have a significant impact on grapevines, scorching leaves and decreasing growth and yield. Grape growers deploy various strategies to protect their vines during extreme heat events which can include spraying canopies with “sunscreen”. Although these strategies have merit, they often involve investment in additional infrastructure or are laborious to employ. Another strategy involves…

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Detection of tree disease with sap flow sensors

Sap flow sensors can be used to study the hydraulic function of healthy versus diseased trees. Sap flow sensors can detect a decrease in hydraulic function associated with disease prior to the onset of outward, physical symptoms. Sap flow sensors, therefore, provide a tool for researchers to better understand the physiology of disease in trees.…

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Growers workshop 2017

Edaphic Scientific participated in a series of workshops for macadamia and grape growers in November and December, 2017. The workshops covered topics such as heatwaves, irrigation and advanced technology to measure the water potential of crops. The workshops were organised by the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) New South Wales, and the Australian Macadamia Society.…

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Dendrometers: multi-purpose sensors

Fruit Physiology

Dendrometers are a multi-purpose sensor for measuring plant growth and water use. They are a precision sensor to measure small expansion and contractions in plant tissues over a daily cycle. They can also measure growth over several days, weeks and months. Therefore, dendrometers can be used for irrigation and fertigation management, as well as providing…

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Measuring transpiration of small plants

Sap Flow Meter

Continuous measurements of the water use, or transpiration, of small or herbaceous plants can be difficult. A small weighing lysimeter, also known as a balance or scale, can be used however these often require a researcher to manually read the LCD screen or to have the instrument connected to a PC or laptop. Data collection…

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Flowers and transpiration

flower transpiration

Surprisingly little research has been dedicated to flower water relations. This is despite the vast amount of research on water relations at the whole-plant level, stomatal conductance at the leaf level, and even the water relations of fruits. Flowers have been largely neglected probably due to the difficulty of accurately measuring transpiration rates with a…

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Plant and Soil Workshops 2016

Edaphic Scientific has just held a series of one day workshops on water and nutrients in plants and soils. The workshops were held across Australia at the CSIRO, Macquarie University and The University of Queensland and were well attended by students, researchers and growers. The workshop consisted of a series of presentations followed by practical…

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Monitoring CO2 in Shopping Centres

CO2 Detector Green Building Council of Australia

You have probably never noticed a CO2 (carbon dioxide) detector when you’re at the shopping centre buying new clothes or shoes. More and more CO2 detectors are being installed in shopping centres to monitor CO2 for comfort and energy savings. Recently, the CO2meter.com Wall Mounted CO2 Detector with Alarm was installed for such reasons in…

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Marine Science Conference 2016

Edaphic Scientific attended the joint conference between the New Zealand Marine Sciences Society and Australian Marine Science Association in Wellington, New Zealand. The conference was attended by over 500 marine science researchers from Australia and New Zealand. Talks and posters covered a wide range of topics from ocean acidification to coral bleaching to marine parks…

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Why your soil moisture measurements are not accurate

Manufacturers of soil water content sensors supply their product with an output registering volumetric water content (VWC), typically expressed as a percentage. But where does this number come from and what does it actually mean? In all likelihood, the output value from the sensor will not be equal to the actual VWC of your particular…

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Scientists adrift in the Pacific on a Kon-Tiki tour

What would possess a team of scientists to drift on a primitive raft in the Pacific Ocean for over 60 days? As always, it is in the name of science – specifically anthropology and environmental science research. Known as the Kon-Tiki2 Expedition, the scientists are examining if it was possible for Polynesian and South American…

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Renewable energy from the mixing of wastewater streams

Reverse Osmosis Diagram

Dr Fernanda Helfer, Griffith University, was the recipient of the 2016 Edaphic Scientific Research Equipment Grant. In this blog post, Dr Helfer explains her research on renewable energy and wastewater.   From 2013 to 2016, the global amount of fresh drinking water produced through seawater reverse osmosis desalination (RO) increased from 25 million m3day-1 to…

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5 common mistakes when measuring soil moisture

Soil Water Content Turf

Soil moisture, or soil volumetric water content, is easily measured with probes, sensors or handheld meters. These meters are as simple as pushing the probe or sensor into the soil, pressing read on the handheld meter, and you’re done. As easy as this appears, there are surprisingly many pitfalls and traps that can lead to wrong…

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