A review of lysimeters from the perspective of measurement performance and intelligent development in China

Lysimeters are critical instruments for studying infiltration, runoff and evapotranspiration processes in the hydrological cycle and play a critical role in promoting efficient water-saving irrigation. This paper provides a systematic review of the development process and research status of lysimeters, progressing from simple to complex designs, from single instruments to clusters, and from manual measurement to intelligent monitoring. The working principles of various types of lysimeter were first described based on Chinese lysimeter patents over the past 20 years. Second, this paper analyses the measurement performance and application scope of different lysimeters and further studies the weighting stability of various weighing lysimeters. Third, by analysing sources of measurement error, the reliability improvement methods of lysimeters are analysed from the aspects of environment control and sensor compensation. Fourth, this paper reviews typical research on the automation and informatization of lysimeters and discusses future intelligent developments and application prospects for lysimeters in complex environments. Finally, the measurement performance of different lysimeters is analysed based on experimental data sets. This paper puts forward some suggestions for developing lysimeters with high performance, high efficiency and high reliability, hoping to promote the development of intelligent agriculture.