New soil sensors have been installed at EARTHONE’s Italian pilot site to monitor how different agricultural management practices affect soil conditions over time.
The sensors measure soil moisture, electrical conductivity, temperature and CO₂ flux, providing data to better understand how these parameters vary across three management systems: conventional farming, poplar plantations and agroforestry plots.
To install the equipment, the team placed sensors approximately 30 cm below the soil surface and set up a solar-powered control unit that automatically transmits measurements to the monitoring platform every 15 minutes.
The monitoring will continue throughout the 2026–2027 wheat growing season, from planting in November 2026 to harvest in July 2027. By comparing data from the three systems, the EARTHONE team aims to better understand how different agricultural practices influence soil conditions and their evolution in the context of climate change.