Ground-Penetrating Radar Full-Wave Inversion for Soil Moisture Mapping in Trench-Hill Potato Fields for Precise Irrigation

In this paper, we analysed the effect of trench-hill soil surface on ground-penetrating radar (GPR) full-wave inversion for soil moisture measurement. We conducted numerical experiments by modelling the trench-hill surface using finite-difference time–domain (FDTD) simulations. The FDTD simulations...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inRemote sensing (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 14; no. 23; p. 6046
Main Authors Wu, Kaijun, Desesquelles, Henri, Cockenpot, Rodolphe, Guyard, Léon, Cuisiniez, Victor, Lambot, Sébastien
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.12.2022
Subjects
Antennas
Approximation
dielectric permittivity
Finite difference method
Finite difference time domain method
Flat surfaces
Frequency ranges
full-wave inversion
GPR
Green's functions
Ground penetrating radar
Investigations
Irrigation
Methods
Moisture effects
potato crop
Potatoes
Radar
Radar systems
Receivers & amplifiers
Remote sensing
Simulation
Soil moisture
Soil surfaces
Wave propagation
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Summary:In this paper, we analysed the effect of trench-hill soil surface on ground-penetrating radar (GPR) full-wave inversion for soil moisture measurement. We conducted numerical experiments by modelling the trench-hill surface using finite-difference time–domain (FDTD) simulations. The FDTD simulations were carried out with the open-source software gprMax, using different centre frequencies, namely, 150 MHz, 250 MHz and 450 MHz. The gprMax source/receiver for each centre frequency was calibrated, respectively, to transform the FDTD radar signal to normalized Green’s functions for wave propagation in multilayered media. The radar signals and inversion results of the three different frequency ranges are compared. The FDTD Green’s functions of the trench-hill surface with a flat surface are also compared. The results show that the trench-hill surface only slightly affects the inversion when frequency is lower than 190 MHz, which agrees with Rayleigh’s criterion. Field measurements were performed as well, using a prototype radar mounted on an irrigation robot. The low-frequency antenna was calibrated over a large water plane. The optimal operating frequency range was set to 130–190 MHz. TDR measurements were performed as well for comparison. The results demonstrated promising perspectives for automated and real-time determination of the root–zone soil moisture in potato fields, and thereby for precise and automatic irrigation.
ISSN:2072-4292
2072-4292
DOI:10.3390/rs14236046