Inhalt
Drought stress caused by hot days – recognise and act in good time
Hot and dry summer days are not only a strain on humans but also affect plant life. Dried-out soils make water absorption more difficult and put plants under considerable stress. In the long term, this can have serious consequences: Trees close their stomata, which reduces CO₂ uptake and decreases photosynthesis performance. Growth disorders, leaf wilt or premature leaf shedding can also occur.
To prevent such damage, it is essential to recognise drought stress at an early stage. This is where the PiCUS Tension comes in.
This is a sensor system for measuring various parameters in the soil and on the tree. The sensor elements can be installed directly when planting young trees or retrofitted later.
What is measured?
The sensors can be used to determine the soil water tension, which indicates the force with which the water is held in the pores of the soil. The lower the soil water tension, the more easily water is available to plants. The measured suction tension is indicated by the pF value. On the other hand, values such as temperature, soil moisture or nutrients can be determined.
Data processing and evaluation
The measurement data is automatically transferred to the IML Cloud via the LTE wireless standard. The IML ServiceApp or the browser-based WebGIS application can be used to call up the latest values at any time, regardless of location.
Advantages of PiCUS Tension
The system enables an immediate evaluation of the soil moisture status using a traffic light colour system: red indicates drought stress, green indicates optimum conditions. The sensors remain permanently in the soil to avoid damaging the root area and provide reliable data for a variety of applications such as groundwater or construction site monitoring. An integrated warning system protects plants from overwatering, while automatically generated watering recommendations allow for needs-based irrigation. The recommendations are based on soil parameters such as field capacity, size of the tree disc, degree of sealing and rooting depth. The system is complemented by a comprehensive range of accessories such as augers, installation shafts and installation aids.
