How do soil properties and canopy status influence potato traits while continuously monitoring soil moisture with IoT-based sensors?

Abstract Many soil-related factors associated with potato yield and quality are implicitly linked to soil water availability (SWA). This soil property also affects potato canopy, which could be indirectly evaluated using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The objective of this study was to quantify the optimal explanatory soil- and canopy state-related properties that determine potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) traits: total yield (TY), dry matter (DM) content, and average tuber weight (ATW) over a rainfed production field. SWA was continuously measured using moisture sensors installed at three depths and connected via the Internet to exchange data. Soil water storage (SWS) was derived from soil moisture content (SMC). Thus, the effect of spatial and temporal changes in SWS on TY was also determined.Potatoes were grown under a suboptimal water supply during crucial stages for yield formation. More explanatory variables significantly affected ATW and TY than DM content. SWS, determined between the stages of leaf development and canopy closure, played a more critical role in forming ATW and TY than soil chemical properties. A model solely based on canopy status evaluation between the time of canopy closure and the end of flowering, and SWS determined simultaneously, was a strong alternative for forecasting TY and ATW. In the sampling area with the highest TY, the average SWS did not drop below the level that limits potato growth for most of the growing season. A sampling area with the lowest TY was characterized by the lowest water retention for most of the growing season.