Measuring Instruments

Understanding infiltration and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity over a large research area can be difficult —the more spatially variable your soil is, the more measurements you have to make. Traditional tension infiltrometers are heavy, complex, and take a near-expert to run, limiting the measurements you can make. You need something easier. Introducing the low-cost, ultra-compact Mini Disk Infiltrometer.

Simplicity solves complexity

The Mini Disk Infiltrometer provides you with a better overall picture of your research site because it gives you more data for less time, effort, and money. Due to its incredibly easy setup and compact size, it’s ideal for making field measurements. You just pop it in your backpack with a bottle of water and take it absolutely anywhere. Thousands of scientists worldwide rely on the inexpensive Mini Disk Infiltrometer to understand complex problems such as hydrophobicity in soil, infiltration, irrigation system design, erosion hazard evaluation, and burn severity.

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Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity in two easy steps

We designed the Mini Disk Infiltrometer to be the absolute fastest, easiest way to test unsaturated hydraulic conductivity and infiltration rates. There’s no complex setup. Just fill the reservoir, set the suction, and start measuring infiltration. You don’t even have to pre-saturate the disk.

The sensors operate on the principle of single gap light absorption as a means of detecting the presence of suspended solids. The sensors utilize a near infrared emitter to minimize color effects and compensates for emitter variations due to temperature by measuring source brightness.

The InsiteIG PortaCaddie is an organizational tool, sold with each sensor, that captures the meter along with the sensor and cable. The PortaCaddie is designed to manage the cable to eliminate tangles while using the system in the field. The meter, sensor, and cable are retained securely during transport and are easily deployed at the desired test location. The rugged design was built specifically for the rigors encountered by field instrumentation. The PortaCaddie was designed to offer a level of protection to the meter, sensor, and cable

A soil penetrometer is a field and/or lab instrument designed to measure the resistance of soil to penetration. By pressing or driving a conical tip into the soil and recording the force required, it quantifies compaction, bearing capacity, root‐zone restriction and structural integrity of the soil. Used in agriculture, geotechnical investigations, civil engineering and turf management, this instrument is essential for assessing soil physical condition and suitability for plant growth or construction.

The Soil Penetrometer enables users to identify compacted layers, measure soil strength, predict how easily roots can grow, and help in making decisions about tillage, soil amelioration and foundation design.

The SPAD‑502Plus is a handheld, non‑destructive chlorophyll meter that enables rapid measurement of the chlorophyll content of plant leaves. By simply clamping the device’s measuring head onto a leaf, the meter provides a SPAD value that correlates to chlorophyll levels (and indirectly, the plant’s nitrogen status). This insight helps agronomists, farm‑managers and researchers optimize fertilizer usage, monitor plant health and enhance crop yield and quality.

Its compact, water‑resistant (IPX‑4) form factor and extremely low power consumption make it well‑suited for field use across a wide variety of crops including wheat, rice, corn, cotton and more.

TEROS 31 is the only tensiometer in the world small enough and precise enough to perform excellent water potential spot measurements in even the tightest spaces. And now it’s even more robust than ever. We’ve incorporated a more ruggedized, highly precise pressure transducer, giving you higher data resolution in an almost unbreakable form. And the TEROS 31 tensiometer has a blazing-fast response time of only 5 seconds for a pressure change of 0 to –85 kPa. It reacts much faster to changing soil conditions because of its small water volume, enabling you to measure even the most minute changes in water potential—something lower-quality tensiometers cannot do. It measures matric potential within the gravitational range where most water movement occurs and into the capillary range, helping you understand whether water will move and where it will go.