Helsinki, Finland: Wireless underground soil moisture sensor start-up Soil Scout has entered a partnership with US-based SubAir Sports Systems, aimed at giving turf managers unprecedented control over their operations and turf with automated sub-surface monitoring and ventilation.

Soil Scout’s sensor transmits moisture, temperature, and salinity data in real-time from up to two metres below the surface, while SubAir’s sub-surface aeration and moisture removal units guarantee ideal pitch conditions, automatically adjusting the moisture levels of the turf according to live, real-time soil conditions.

In a sudden downpour, the vacuum systems activate to eliminate excess moisture in the soil profile, with 36x faster drainage than natural drainage alone.

This combination of cutting-edge turf technology enables turf professionals to provide pristine playing surfaces for professional teams and players, thus creating entertainment that creates important memories for fans and players alike.

“Working with Soil Scout has so far been one of the best partnerships we’ve had in the entire turf industry. With both companies being the industry leaders in their respective fields, I’m super excited to work together to provide one of the most powerful solutions on the market to help turf managers achieve their goals based on real-time data from Soil Scout’s sensors and our aeration units,” said Brad Dennis, President of SubAir Sports Systems.

Jalmari Talola, CEO of Soil Scout, an Associate Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation, said: “Turf managers expect tools to be able to do their job efficiently and effectively as possible. Our partnership provides the data and operational performance to ensure that ideal pitch performance requirements are met.

“Working with SubAir has been brilliant, and they’re true innovators in their industry. This partnership provides an unrivalled offering and we’re very excited to deploy this solution combination around the world together.”

SubAir Systems and Soil Scout have been chosen to support all eight of the stadium venues at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The devices are also currently used in numerous iconic sports venues such as Citizens Bank Park, home to the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team – a sport where irrigation is a constant challenge due to baseball being one of the few sports that tarps their grass for rain and needing to keep infield clay dry.

Soil Scout recently announced a partnership with US-based provider of autonomous aerial intelligence services GreenSight, as well as expanding its US operations with an aim to accelerate its go-to-market efforts and combat the on-going drought in California.

Backed by Husqvarna, Soil Scout was co-founded by Finnish farmer Johannes Tiusanen and electronics expert Jussi Sirkiä with a mission of giving soil experts the information they need to effectively manage their lands.