Abstract Irrigation is essential for stabilizing yields and sustaining food production, yet it faces increasing challenges, especially in water‐scarce regions. Cosmic‐ray neutron sensors (CRNS) are a promising tool in irrigation management as they can continuously monitor soil water content (SWC) over large areas. However, observational studies sometimes reported inconsistent CRNS responses across different irrigation methods and environments, limiting the broader transferability of this technique. In this study, CRNS measurements in hose reel raingun (potato), central pivot (winter wheat), and flood irrigation (alfalfa) were evaluated, and their interpretation was aided by neutron transport modeling. Overall, CRNS proved more consistent at estimating field‐scale SWC than point‐scale and profile sensors. Also, replacing the conventional N0 method with the Universal transfer solution approach substantially improved SWC estimates when this was below 0.10 cm 3 cm −3 , avoiding unrealistically low values. In flood and pivot irrigation, CRNS showed clear responses to irrigation and neutron transport simulations with the Monte Carlo code “URANOS” reproduced these dynamics well. In contrast, hose reel raingun irrigation produced weaker responses that were less consistent with URANOS, especially when irrigation occurred far from the CRNS, likely due to the co‐occurrence of precipitation and the small soil volume affected by irrigation. Interestingly, a simplified analytical solution produced results comparable to URANOS, suggesting potential for rapid applications. Overall, the combination of CRNS measurements and neutron transport modeling proved key in interpreting CRNS observations across irrigation systems. Increasingly integrating observations, modeling, and recent methodological advances will likely make CRNS more transferrable, strengthening its role and adoption in irrigation management.
Brogi et al. (Sun,) studied this question.