Improve berry irrigation with real-time soil moisture data, slope-based scheduling, automated irrigation, and reliable connectivity. Sensoterra offers calibrated VWC data for more consistent berry production.
Smart irrigation for California berry production
California’s berry industry depends on precision. Strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries are highly sensitive to water availability, and even small variations can influence fruit size, flavor, uniformity, and disease pressure. With short irrigation windows, unpredictable weather patterns, and increased scrutiny on water use, growers need a way to make irrigation decisions that are accurate, fast, and field-specific.
Real-time soil moisture monitoring gives berry growers a clearer, more consistent way to manage irrigation, without relying on guesswork, outdated scheduling, or expensive infrastructure. Sensoterra stands out by delivering calibrated volumetric water content (VWC) data, plant available water thresholds (PAW), long-lifetime wireless hardware, and connectivity that works out-of-the-box across California.
How Terrain and Gravitational Pull Affect Orchard Moisture
In sloped orchards, gravitational pull causes water to migrate downslope and settle deeper in the soil profile. Lower-elevation trees often sit above slightly elevated groundwater or shallow saturated layers, especially after heavy irrigation or spring rainfall.
This leads to:
- Root oxygen stress
- Delayed nutrient uptake
- Disease (Phytophthora) vulnerability
- Tree decline or collapse
At the top of the slope, trees experience the opposite problem:
- Faster drying
- Chronic mild stress
- Lower productivity
Without real-time soil moisture data, many orchard managers irrigate uniformly across entire blocks, unintentionally overwatering some trees and underwatering others.
Soil moisture sensors help growers divide irrigation zones based on slope instead of treating entire fields as uniform. With real-time VWC data, it’s easy to see when lower slopes are still above target moisture while upper slopes are already falling below.
Multi-depth data reveals what’s really happening
With Sensoterra, growers and irrigation managers can quickly see moisture levels at multiple depths. This helps answer critical orchard questions:
- Is the lower root zone staying saturated too long?
- Are upper-slope trees drying faster between cycles?
- Are mid-slope trees benefiting from water movement?
- Is water infiltrating deep enough after each irrigation?
- Are we applying more than the soil can absorb?
This depth-based visibility makes irrigation steering more precise and directly reduces tree mortality.
Automation With Your Existing Irrigation System
Sensoterra grows with your needs. Start monitoring soil moisture with Sensoterra, managing soil moisture levels and irrigation schedule adjustment. The Sensoterra data can be integrated into your existing irrigation platform, without having to change sensor hardware, so you can have all data in one place for irrigation management, and even automation. This enables slope-specific irrigation strategies such as:
- Shorter, more frequent cycles in low-lying areas
- Longer pulses for upper-slope trees
- Block division guided by real sensor data
- Automatic on/off steering based on moisture thresholds
Connectivity that removes complexity
Orchards often span large acreage far from infrastructure. Sensoterra sensors connect automatically through strategic LoRaWAN partnerships — eliminating the need for private gateways or costly communications infrastructure.
Because a sensor is only useful if the data reliably leaves the field, our built-in connectivity gives orchard managers confidence that every reading shows up on time.
EQIP reimbursement
Many orchard growers in California have successfully secured EQIP funding for Sensoterra sensors. If you’re exploring grant reimbursement, we’re ready to support the process and provide documentation on our hardware to make sure you get the data you need to be successful.
About Sensoterra
Sensoterra takes the lead in wireless soil moisture sensor technology, offering cutting-edge IoT solutions for smart agriculture. Our state-of-the-art moisture sensors are pioneers in the field of soil moisture monitoring. We are committed to revolutionizing precision agriculture, helping farmers optimize their irrigation systems and promote sustainable farming. With Sensoterra, you gain real-time access to critical soil moisture data, empowering you to manage water resources with precision. Established in 2015 and headquartered in Houten, The Netherlands, Sensoterra develops innovative water management solutions for agriculture, horticulture, smart city management, and water governance. Our global network boasts over 12,000 moisture probes in the ground, generating an abundance of data points daily. Jessica Nuboer Marketing & Communications Sensoterra Email: [email protected]
