A RAPID METHOD FOR CALIBRATING SOIL MOISTURE ELEMENTS OF THE POROUS BLOCK TYPE

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Abstract
Some of the difficulties in calibrating gypsum block soil moisture elements are discussed and a new method depending on freezing point measurements is described. The calibration is in terms of the pF, defined as the logarithm of the tension (expressed in cms of water) under which the water is held in the soil. The method is based on the assumption that the pF is the same in the block and in the soil in which it is buried. A simple thermodynamic equation has been used to relate the freezing point of the water in the pores of the block to the pF. Thermocouples have been used to measure the small depressions in the freezing point. The calibration is completed in about three days and is almost identical with that obtained by other workers using a pressure membrane technique.

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