A compact and inexpensive mobile weighing device for water relations studies of container-grown trees
Michael G. McKeon A C , Daryl C. Joyce A and Robert H. Frith BA The University of Queensland, School of Land Crop and Food Sciences, Gatton, Qld 4343, Australia.
B Frith Engineering Consultants Pty Ltd, PO Box 5602, Brisbane, Qld 4053, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: m.mckeon@uq.edu.au
Australian Journal of Botany 56(6) 535-538 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT08068
Submitted: 24 April 2008 Accepted: 7 July 2008 Published: 16 September 2008
Abstract
A low-cost mobile load cell-based weighing device is described for use in experiments that involve measuring water use by container-grown trees. The relatively lightweight (~30 kg) mobile weighing device was constructed from strong, corrosion-resistant materials readily available from commercial sources. The device has a total weighing capacity of 500 kg on the basis of rated capacity of 250 kg from each of two load cells and a maximum resolution of 0.020 kg. On the basis of a soil surface area of 825 cm2 for the containers used in the proving study, this sensitivity corresponded to an equivalent water depth of 0.23 mm.
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