Automated Microcontroller-Based Irrigation System

Automated Microcontroller-Based Irrigation System

Mmathapelo Makana, Nnamdi Nwulu, Eustace Dogo
Copyright: © 2021 |Pages: 16
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-7511-6.ch004
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Abstract

Traditional irrigation systems do not take into consideration the conservation of water. Therefore, automating the plant watering systems to reduce water wastage and loss would be key to water conservation as a means of making use of water wisely and responsibly. In this chapter, a smart irrigation system that helps control the amount of water applied to crops is proposed and developed. The system controls the ON/OFF state of the water pumping motor based on the soil moisture sensor reading. Other sensors incorporated in the system are the water level sensor and light dependent resistor. The system leverages on the Arduino Uno microcontroller development board to collect input signals from the three sensors. The water pump operates depending on the value of the output signal received by the relay module. This technique of watering is feasible and very affordable and reduces human intervention in field watering.
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Introduction

Water is an essential resource for agricultural crop farming. There is currently an increase in water demand because of the continuous increase in population, rapid urbanization, and climate change due to unpredictable weather patterns. Agriculture alone accounts for usage of nearly 70% of freshwater, this along with water losses in traditional irrigation system primarily due to variable soil moisture and water requirements on the farming field (Ahamed, 2019). Hence, the need to find better ways driven by the technology of conserving, utilizing and management of water resource in all sectors including in agricultural use (Arvindan & Keerthika, 2016; Dogo et al., 2019).

Irrigation is the artificial administration of water to the soil using different systems of tubes, sprays and pumps at steady intervals so that plants can flourish quantitatively and qualitatively (Oregon State University, 2020). It is normally used in regions where there is little or no rainfall or areas where there are high chances of drought. Sources of irrigation water include wells, groundwater, treated wastewater and surface water sources such as lakes and rivers. Farmers must protect and sustainably use their water sources for high crop yields (Kamaruddin et al., 2019; Namala et al., 2016).

Previously, farmers have been using irrigation techniques that require manual control to irrigate fields at planned intervals. However, this technique sometimes results in under irrigation or over-irrigation. Water insufficiency can be harmful to crops. It may result in a slower growth rate and production of lightweight products. Over irrigation results in waterlogged soils and/or soil erosion which will result in low-quality soil for future use. These problems can be alleviated by automating the irrigation systems that will control the use of water in the agricultural fields to minimize wastage.

The following are the specific objectives:

  • 1.

    To design a system that allows automatic irrigation using engineering tools and techniques.

  • 2.

    To implement the designed system and test its performance and functionality.

  • 3.

    To evaluate the accuracy and reliability of the system based on the test results obtained.

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