Abstract: Accurate measurement of soil moisture is an urgent need in agricultural irrigation, hydrology, environmental protection, and carbon metrology. The measurement techniques to determine soil moisture are diverse and rapidly developing, including time domain reflectometry (TDR), frequency domain reflectometry (FDR), neutron moisture meters, tensiometry, calcium carbide technique, gypsum blocks, electromagnetic techniques, gamma ray attenuation, hygrometric technique, heat flux sensor technique and remote sensing technique, in addition to the classical loss on drying. The loss on drying method is a reference method for the measurement of soil moisture, which can be used to calibrate other measurement methods to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the value. The calibration methods include factory calibration, field calibration, and laboratory calibration. In order to determine the soil moisture accurately and conveniently, it is necessary to select appropriate measurement methods and calibration methods according to the actual situation in order to obtain accurate and reliable measurement results. This paper introduces the principles and characteristics of measurement methods and calibration methods for soil moisture, and forecasts the development trend of related measurement technology.