What is Amplification Factor?

Amplification Factor is an advanced sensor setting used to adjust how strongly changes in soil moisture are reflected in the calculated soil profile.

In some soils, the sensor may detect moisture changes that appear larger than the amount of water actually entering or leaving the root zone. This can happen because of the natural soil structure being more conducive to shrink/swell cycles from wetting and drying.

The Amplification Factor allows the profile calculation to be normalized so the displayed uptake and refill values better represent actual field behavior.

When should Amplification Factor be used?

Amplification Factor may be helpful when:

• Water uptake appears much higher than expected.
• Irrigation or rainfall causes unusually large jumps in the profile.
• The graph is consistently more reactive than the crop and irrigation activity would suggest
  

This setting should only be changed when the profile is consistently exaggerating moisture movement. It is not normally needed for every field.

How the setting works

The default Amplification Factor is 1.0.

At 1.0, no adjustment is applied.

A value below 1.0 reduces the size of the calculated profile changes. For example:

• An Amplification Factor of 0.5 reduces the calculated profile values by approximately half.
• A full point previously calculated as 10 may become approximately 5.
• A refill point previously calculated as 5 may become approximately 2.5.

The exact result depends on the field and sensor data.

What does the setting affect?

Amplification Factor applies to the combined profile calculation for the sensor.

It does not apply to only one individual sensor depth.

It may adjust values such as:

• Profile sum
• Full point
• Refill point
• Calculated uptake

The individual moisture readings shown on the moisture graph may not change. The adjustment is applied to the calculated profile rather than rewriting the original sensor measurements.

How to update the Amplification Factor

1. Open the field and select the applicable sensor.
2. Open the advanced sensor settings.
3. Locate Amplification Factor.
4. Enter the desired value.
5. Press Enter to apply the change.
6. Refresh the page and confirm that the value was saved.

There may not be a separate Save button. Clicking elsewhere or refreshing before pressing Enter may cause the value to return to its previous setting.

Choosing a value

Start with a small adjustment and review the results before lowering the value further. Match the increases on the profile sum to a known irrigation amount and/or daily water use amounts from the crop. (generally between .2 to .4 inches per day during the middle part of the season)

For example:

• Start with 0.75 for a modest reduction.
• Use 0.5 when the profile appears to be approximately twice as reactive as expected.
• Avoid making large adjustments without reviewing irrigation events, rainfall, crop uptake, and the individual depth readings.

After changing the value, compare the profile against known field activity to determine whether the adjusted graph is realistic.

Important considerations

Amplification Factor should not be used to correct:

• Incorrect field capacity settings
  
• Root activity and water use showing too little movement
• Incorrect refill points
• Sensor installation issues
• Missing or incorrect irrigation events
• Root activity occurring at only one depth
• A sensor that is not communicating properly

Review those items before applying an amplification adjustment.