Soil Moisture Sensor Market Size, Global Market Research and Industry Forecast Report, 2019-2025 (Includes Business Impact of COVID-19)

                                          
Industry Insights, Market Size, CAGR, High-Level Analysis: Soil Moisture Sensor Market


The global soil moisture sensor market size was valued at USD 173.6 million in 2018 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 14.0% from 2019 to 2025. Increasing adoption of these sensors by the agricultural sector to enhance the farms productivity and reduce water consumption is expected to drive the market growth over the forecast period. Moreover, this product also helps in avoiding the irrigation issues through constant monitoring, which in turn is spurring the growth of the market. The introduction of new technologies that aid residential owners to monitor soil moisture condition of potted plants, vegetable gardens, and lawns are also expected to drive the market.

The demand for low-cost sensors such as tensiometers and granular matrix, especially in the residential sector for maintaining lawns is driving the growth of the market. These products play a crucial role in maintaining the lush green lawn, which, in turn, is driving their adoption in the residential segment. The devices accounted for more than 45% of the revenue share in the year 2018. The use of soil moisture sensors by the weather forecasters to offer accurate weather readings and forecasts is another prominent factor driving the market. The segment is estimated to register a considerable growth during the forecast period.

The increasing demand for soil moisture sensors in the building and construction sector is also estimated to drive market growth in the coming years. This product is extensively preferred before initiating the construction project for wetland detection. The imminent need for the measurement of water content at the construction sites is driving the market growth. On the flip side, lack of awareness among farmers regarding the benefits offered by the sensors,lack of availability of skilled labor, and preference for traditional farming practices, especially in emerging economies, is hampering the overall growth of the market.

North America held the largest market share in 2018 owing to the relatively greater adoption of mechanized farm practices and a multitude of research and development in the field of wireless sensor technology. Additionally, the farmers in the region have relatively greater awareness regarding the benefits associated with the use of soil moisture sensors. In addition, the farmers have been receiving ample support to adopt mechanized farming practices from organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), The Nature Conservancy, and the National Research Council.

Sensors Insights

Soil water potential sensors dominated the market in 2018 and accounted for a market share exceeding 65.0%. The segment is further segregated into gypsum blocks, tensiometers, and granular matrix sensors. They are low cost, easy to use, provide accurate measurement, and require little maintenance. Tensiometers are used to measure tension between soil particles and water molecules and held the largest share of the segment in 2018. Tensiometers can be easily integrated into an irrigation system, need relatively minimal maintenance, and are used when the water requirement for a specific crop is high.

Volumetric soil moisture sensors are expected to exhibit substantial growth over the forecast period since they offer more accurate and instant data to farmers and require limited calibration during the time of installation. Capacitance sensors, probes, and time-domain transmissometry (TDT) sensors are different volumetric sensors available in the market. Capacitive sensors measure the moisture level in the soil through capacitive sensing rather than the resistive sensing. The device avoids is made of corrosion-resistant material, thereby, avoiding corrosion. The Time Domain Transmissometry (TDT) sensors are also estimated to portray a significant CAGR in the forthcoming years. They are durable, consume less power, and efficiently limit the effect of noise to achieve higher accuracy and average measurement across the entire length of the probes. The afore-mentioned benefits offered has increased its adoption among end-users over the last few years.

Connectivity Insights

Wired sensors dominated the soil moisture sensor market market in 2018 and accounted for the revenue share of over 65.0%. The problems associated with this product include maintenance cost, labor cost, and inflexibility with respect to remote accessibility. They are considered ideal for experiments in courses like horticulture, agricultural science, botany, biology, and environmental science.

The wireless soil moisture sensor segment is projected to exhibit the highest growth rate over the forecast period. They are increasingly used to measure volumetric water content in the soil, remotely. French company Kerlink entered into a partnership with Sensoterra (Netherlands) to allow the farmers to make data-controlled land-management decisions and consequently reduce their water consumption by 30 percent. Using Kerlinks Low Power Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN)-based IoT platform, Sensoterra is expected to launch new wireless soil moisture sensors across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. The accurate measurement of moisture conditions helps farmers to increase yield, maintain soil health, and enhance water conservation. Therefore, this product is expected to drive the market over the forecast period.

Application Insights of Soil Moisture Sensor Market

Soil moisture sensors find applications across an array of industries and verticals, including agriculture, construction and mining, residential, forestry, landscaping and ground care, research studies, sports, and weather forecasting. The agriculture segment dominated the market in 2018 and accounted for a market share of over 55.0%. Increasing use of sensors in agricultural lands has enabled farmers to reduce water consumption and increase overall food production. These benefits are expected to drive the segment in the coming years. Moreover, increasing focus of governments across various nations towards water conservation to improve the quality of crops is driving the market.

In a bid to ensure and maintain lush outfield, market growth has surged in the sports segment. For example, the sensors are increasingly used for the maintenance of the golf turfs. Factor such as investment made by the governments for the betterment of the sports grounds and need for controlled grass growth on sports outfields is mainly responsible for the segment growth.

Regional Insights of Soil Moisture Sensor Market

North America dominated the market in 2018. The dominance can be credited mainly to the relatively greater adoption of sensors across the agriculture and sports segments. The U.S. is house to a large number of soil moisture sensor manufacturers such as Campbell Scientific, Inc., and The Toro Company. Stringent environmental regulations and rising adoption of precision farming and yield monitoring practices by large and small farm owners to upsurge the productivity of fields is expected to drive the market.

Asia Pacific region is estimated to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period owing to increasing awareness regarding the usage of soil moisture sensors among farmers. In addition, the availability of huge arable land in countries such as China and India is expected to increase the utilization of soil moisture sensor. Furthermore, the rising concern of soil health in the region is positively impacting the growth of the market. Countries such as Japan, India, Australia, and China are expected to generate considerable revenue owing to the favorable government policies and rising disposable income of farmers.

Market Share Insights of Soil Moisture Sensor Market

The prominent industry participants include The Toro Company (U.S.), Campbell Scientific Inc. (U.S.), Spiio (U.S.), Sentek (Australia), METER Group, Inc. USA (U.S.); Irrometer Company, Inc. (U.S.); Acclima Inc. (U.S.); IMKO Micromodultechnik GmbH (Germany), Spectrum Technologies, Inc. (U.S.); E.S.I. Environmental Sensors Inc. (Canada). Major market players are focusing on strengthening their product portfolio in a bid to sustain its leading market position. For instance, in August 2017, The Toro Company announced the launch of wireless sensor technology, namely "˜Turf Guard Soil Monitoring System. The newly launched system consists of an advanced wireless mesh network technology that monitors the soil temperature, moisture level, and salinity level.

The Toro Company has also announced the launch of its Toro Precision soil sensor for residential applications. This wireless sensor continuously measures soil moisture. Soil sensing technology is widely used by high-end commercial landscapes and golf courses to reduce water waste.

Segmentations, Sub Segmentations, CAGR, & High-Level Analysis overview of Soil Moisture Sensor Market Research Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at the global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends and opportunities in each of the sub-segments from 2014 to 2025. For the purpose of this study, this market research report has segmented the global soil moisture sensor market report on the basis of sensors, connectivity, application, and region:

Sensors Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2019 - 2030)

  
Volumetric Soil Moisture Sensors
  
Capacitance
  
Probes
  
Time Domain Transmissometry (TDT)
  
Soil Water Potential Sensors
  
Gypsum Blocks
  
Tensiometers
  
Granular Matrix

Connectivity Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2019 - 2030)

  
Wired
  
Wireless

Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2019 - 2030)

  
Agriculture
  
Construction and Mining
  
Residential
  
Forestry
  
Landscaping and Ground Care
  
Research Studies
  
Sports
  
Weather Forecasting