Korea’s aging rural workforce has led to serious labor shortages in chrysanthemum production, where approximately 90%–95% of growers still rely on conventional soil-based methods. Although sensor-driven automated irrigation is emerging as a labor-saving, resource-efficient technology, its use in soil-grown floricultural crops remains limited. This study assessed the suitability of soil moisture sensors for automated irrigation in the standard-type chrysanthemum “Baekgang”. Plants were cultivated in two soil-based greenhouses in Busan. Environmental conditions, including air temperature, humidity, vapor pressure deficit, and photosynthetic photon flux density, were recorded. Soil conditions were measured using FDR sensors (VWC and EC) and matric potential sensors, installed at a depth of 5 cm. Flowering quality was evaluated after the first harvest. Despite similar atmospheric conditions, soil water dynamics differed notably between farms. VWC averaged 23% in Farm A and 26% in Farm B, with fluctuations of ~6% and ~7%, respectively. Matric potential varied more widely, with range values of 32.6 kPa in Farm A and 51.2 kPa in Farm B, which reflects greater sensitivity to soil moisture changes. Farm A maintained stable moisture and lower EC, whereas Farm B experienced over-irrigation due to a high EC level of 8.25 mS·cm-1. These differences significantly reduced flower quality in Farm B, producing smaller capitulum (flower head) and thinner peduncles compared with flowers from Farm A. These findings demonstrate that matric potential sensors provide higher-resolution soil moisture data compared with VWC sensors. Therefore, combining matric potential and EC sensors is recommended for precise irrigation management in soil-based chrysanthemum production.

Introduction
Materials and Methods
    Plant and growth conditions
    Atmosphere and soil environmental monitoring
    Flowering quality and data analysis
Results and Discussion
Acknowledgments
References

• Hyuck Hwan Kwon(Department of Horticultural Bioscience, Pusan National University, Miryang, 50463, Korea)
• Jae Woo Lee(Department of Horticultural Bioscience, Pusan National University, Miryang, 50463, Korea)
• Jin Woo Jeong(Department of Horticultural Bioscience, Pusan National University, Miryang, 50463, Korea)
• Seong Kwang An(Department of Horticultural Bioscience, Pusan National University, Miryang, 50463, Korea, Life and Industry Convergence Research Institute, Pusan National University, Miryang 50463, Korea) Corresponding author
• Bokyung Yang(Agricultural Technology Center, Busan Metropolitan City, Busan, 46702, Korea)
• Mibok Yoo(Agricultural Technology Center, Busan Metropolitan City, Busan, 46702, Korea)