Comprehensive Evaluation of Soil Moisture Sensing Technology Applications Based on Analytic Hierarchy Process and Delphi

Abstract

The demand for smart irrigation and water-saving practices in agriculture has triggered the development of different soil moisture sensing techniques that can operate under harsh field conditions. In this study, a soil moisture sensing technology appropriate for the field applications was comprehensively evaluated. From a qualitative and quantitative perspective, the Delphi and analytic hierarchy process methods were used to construct an index system involving technological advantage, economic benefit, risk analysis, policy support, four second-level indicators, and 23 fourth-level indicators. The results showed that economic benefits account for the largest weight. The practical evaluation resulted in 12 farms that showed that the selected soil water sensing methods performed reasonably and exhibited obvious water-saving irrigation benefits, which are usually used for scheduling irrigation. The overall score of M4 in different soil types was 0.2% lower than that of M5. Farms with reasonable economic conditions and a high awareness scored 5.3% higher on technology than those with modest economic conditions, which clearly affects the evaluation scores of the two technologies. The evaluation results help farmers and government decision-making bodies in technology selection, production decision-making, and risk control.