Water Cherenkov Detectors in Precision Agriculture: A Novel Approach for High-Resolution Soil Moisture Monitoring

TL;DR

This paper explores repurposing Water Cherenkov Detectors, traditionally used in cosmic-ray physics, for high-resolution, non-invasive soil moisture monitoring in agriculture, combining particle physics techniques with agronomic needs.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of WCDs for soil moisture sensing, demonstrating feasibility through experiments and simulations, and bridging physics with agricultural water management.

Findings

WCDs can detect soil moisture variations with high sensitivity.

Experimental and simulation results show correlation between signals and moisture levels.

WCDs offer a scalable, non-invasive alternative to traditional soil moisture probes.

Abstract

Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCDs), traditionally employed in cosmic-ray detection, are repurposed here for precision soil moisture monitoring using cosmic-ray neutron sensing. This approach offers advantages over conventional neutron probes, including enhanced sensitivity to low moisture levels and the ability to cover larger soil volumes without subsurface intrusion. This study evaluates the feasibility of WCDs for agricultural neutron hydrometry, addressing challenges such as background suppression and data interpretation in heterogeneous soils. We present experimental results from controlled wet and dry soil-condition emulations, alongside Monte Carlo simulations using Geant4 with an atmospheric neutron spectrum to correlate signal variation with soil-moisture differences. By bridging particle physics and agronomy, WCDs could advance soil moisture monitoring, offering a non-invasive, scalable, and accurate alternative for optimizing agricultural water use. Preliminary findings suggest a transformative potential for sustainable farming, though further research is needed to enhance cost-efficiency and adaptability to diverse soil types.