In Pilot 1, which takes place in Slovenia, we successfully installed Cosmic Ray Neutron Sensing (CRNS) probe for soil water content measurements. The CRNS probe is located in an agricultural area frequently facing drought. The primary objective is to enhance existing drought monitoring and irrigation scheduling tools with new technology. CRNS probe enables large scale soil moisture measurement, counting the backscattered neutrons generated by the interaction between cosmic ray (fast neutrons) from the sky and water present in the soil. The measurement of neutrons to determine soil moisture content is well proven, and CRNS methodology can measure at a much larger scale than a single, local, point measurement of soil moisture with a traditional sensor. The output of the probe is an average soil moisture (one value) over the 5 ha circular area, to the depth od 30 to 50 cm. The probe is already collecting data, the next steps include calibration procedures and testing.
