Performance evaluation and calibration of soil water content and potential sensors for agricultural soils in eastern Colorado

► Field calibration is required for the CS616/625, TDT, 5TE, and Watermark sensors. ► Bulk soil EC > 3 dS m−1 caused errors in the CS616/625, TDT, and 5TE sensor readings. ► The TDT sensor did not exhibit diurnal temperature-induced reading errors. ► A family of soil water content calibration curves was generated.