Spatial extension of soil water regime variables derived from soil moisture values using geomorphological variables in Hungary

Accurate measurement and spatial extension of soil properties are essential in geoinformatics and precision agriculture for effective resource management, particularly irrigation planning. This study addresses the challenge of extending soil moisture data and related soil water regime variables in heterogeneous agricultural landscapes by integrating geomorphological variables (GVs) derived from high-resolution digital elevation models (DEM). In digital soil mapping, machine learning and geostatistical models often struggle with validation due to data scarcity and variability across space through many geographical regions that come from the point readings of soil properties. A different approach was developed in the form of a new methodology combining two hourly Sentek soil moisture measurements from the topsoil with DEM-derived GVs to model and extend soil water regime variables. The research was conducted on an agricultural field in a hilly area with diverse geomorphological variability. The model’s performance was validated using cross-validation techniques. The monitoring and spatial extension results indicate that GVs enhance the spatial prediction of soil moisture, capturing periodic fluctuations in the upper soil layer more effectively by using in-situ, time series soil moisture sensor readings rather than traditional, on field, one time reading approaches. We observed that certain GVs, such as the slope, both type of curvatures and the convergence, were strong predictors of soil moisture variation, enabling the model to produce more accurate irrigation recommendations for agricultural areas with similar geomorphological areas. One of the soil water regime variables was validated during the preliminary validation with mixed results. The main issue was coming from the field use and spatial scarcity of the measurements. Our approach not only provides a different method for spatially extending the current soil water regime data but also offers a framework for improving irrigation decision-making with the help of other value rates and limit related soil regime variables derived from the time series readings from the soil moisture sensors. With its variables, the model allows for forecasts of soil moisture changes, which can inform better irrigation scheduling and water resource management, all based on data from the soil monitoring sensor system.