Journal for Research| Volume 02 | Issue 02 | April 2016

ISSN: 2395-7549

Sensor Based Automatic Drip Irrigation System

Mr. Rahul Ganpat Ghodake
PG Student
Department of Electronics Engineering
SKN Sinhgad College of Engineering, Korti

Mr. A.O. Mulani

Assistant Professor
Department of Electronics Engineering
SKN Sinhgad College of Engineering, Korti

Abstract
The developments in the agricultural field are the buzzword in the market. In the field of agriculture, use of proper method of
irrigation is important and it is well known that irrigation by drip is very economical and efficient. In the conventional drip
irrigation system, the farmer has to keep watch on irrigation timetable, which is different for different crops and it is very
difficult. This paper mainly focuses on designing of an accurate & cost effective Global System for Mobile (GSM) Based
Automatic Drip Irrigation System using micro-controller. In order to fulfill these objectives we have used relay and solenoid
valve along with a 162 Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) that can be connected to the microcontroller, which will displays the soil
moisture level and ambient temperature. The developed irrigation method removes the need for workmanship for flooding
irrigation. Efficient water management plays an important role in the irrigated agricultural cropping systems. Time based control
mechanism; volume based control mechanism and priority based mechanism can be designed in one system.
Keywords: GSM, Microcontroller, Soil Moisture Sensor, Temperature Sensor, Solenoid Valve
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
I.

INTRODUCTION

In India, where 60-70% economy depends on agriculture, there is a great need to modernize the conventional agricultural
practices for the better productivity. Due to unplanned use of water, the ground water level is decreasing day by day. Lack of rain
and scarcity of land water also results in decrement in volume of water on earth. In present drip irrigation system water is
provided to root zone of plants drop by drop which results in saving of huge amount of water.
Agriculture is the backbone of Indian Economy. Without agriculture living is impossible since agriculture produces the main
source of food for us. Today the availability of labor for carrying out agricultural activities is less; therefore the automation in
agricultural process is needed. In the present era, the farmers have been using irrigation technique in India through the manual
control in which the farmers irrigate the land at the regular intervals. This process sometimes consumes more water or sometimes
the water reaches late due to which the crops get dried. This problem can be perfectly rectified if we use GSM based automatic
drip irrigation system in which the irrigation will take place only when there will be intense requirement of water.
Types of Irrigation:
Surface irrigation:
Surface irrigation is defined as the group of application techniques where water is applied and distributed over the soil surface by
gravity. It is by far the most common form of irrigation throughout the world and has been practiced in many areas virtually
unchanged for thousands of years.
Sprinkler irrigation:
In sprinkler irrigation delivery of water is through a pressurized pipe network to the nozzles of sprinkler which spray the water
into the air. In other words we can say that, it is a type of artificial rain.
Drip irrigation:
Drip irrigation, also known as trickle irrigation or micro irrigation or localized irrigation, is an irrigation method which saves
water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root
zone, through a network of valves, pipes, tubing, and emitter. It is done with the help of narrow tubes which delivers water
directly to the base of the plant.
Need of the Project:
Automatic irrigation systems are convenient, especially for those who travel. If installed and programmed properly, automatic
irrigation systems can even save your money and help in water conservation. Dead lawn grass and plants need to be replaced,
and that can be expensive. But the savings from automatic irrigation systems can go beyond that. Automatic irrigation systems
can be programmed to discharge more precise amounts of water in a targeted area, which promotes water conservation.
Methodology: There are mainly three methods for Automation:
Time-based system:
In this system, time is the basis for operation. The basic objective is to prepare a schedule based on crop water requirements. The
operation sequence will be set by user as desired.

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Sensor Based Automatic Drip Irrigation System

(J4R/ Volume 02 / Issue 02 / 009)

Volume-based system:
In this type, every section will receive the preset volume of water. This is possible with the help of following two methods:
Electronic Control:
Water meter is an essential component in this method which gives the feedback to controller after the preset water volume, is
delivered. One after the other every section receives the preset water quantity.
Mechanical Control:
This is also called as sequential irrigation system. Here controller is not required. Automatic metering valves (AMV) are
interconnected in series. The required quantity has to be set on each AMV. One after the other, all AMVs will operate & deliver
the required water quantity. After the last AMV is closed, the pump also shuts off.
Sensor (Priority)-based system:
In this system, sensors give feedback to controller, depending on which the controller initiates various actions as required.
In this paper the above mentioned three methods (Time based, Volume based and Priority based) are combined in one system.
II. SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE PLATFORM USED
Hardware:
In this paper following hardwares are used.
Micro-controller, soil moisture sensor, temperature sensor, GSM, solenoid valve, diode, resistors and capacitors.
Software:
MicroC PRO for PIC, proteus 8 professional.

III. BLOCK DIAGRAM

The system block diagram is as shown in figure 1 which consists of various blocks. Each block will function as:

Power Supply

Relay

Temperature Sensor

Solenoid
valve

LCD
Soil Moisture
Sensor

Microcontroller
RS -232

Switch
Relay

GSM

Water
Pump

Fig. 1: Block diagram of sensor based automatic drip irrigation system

1) Temperature sensor: Temperature Sensor has been used for sensing the temperature. The output of temperature sensor is
given to microcontroller.
2) Soil moisture sensor: The moisture sensor just senses the moisture of the soil. The change in moisture is proportional to the
amount of current flowing through the soil. The copper plate act as the sensor probes. They are immersed into the specimen
soil whose moisture content is under test. The output of sensor is given to microcontroller.
3) Switch: switch is used to select one of the methods from volume based method, time based method, and sensor based
method.
4) Solenoid Valve: The valve is controlled by an electric current through a solenoid. The solenoid converts electrical energy
into mechanical energy which, in turn, opens or closes the valve mechanically.
5) GSM: The Global System for Mobile Communications is a standard set developed by the European Telecommunications
Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe technologies (2G and 3G).

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Sensor Based Automatic Drip Irrigation System

(J4R/ Volume 02 / Issue 02 / 009)

6) Microcontroller: Microcontroller is used to read the various parameters and do the A/D conversion and also holds the
monitoring program. It receives the analog voltage signal coming from the sensors and converts that to the corresponding
digital signal.
7) Power Supply: - Power supply unit converts input power to DC power required by various parts of project.
IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
All the results are taken for grapes field.
Time based control mechanism:
In time based system large amount of water is available since we can irrigate land depending up on crop condition.

Fig 2.Time based control mechanism

Fig 3.Output screen 1

Fig 4.Output screen 2

Fig 5. Output screen 3

Priority based control mechanism:

Priority is assigned depending upon dry condition of field. Witch field requires intense water has given highest priority.
Table - 4.1
Observation table of priority based system
System Dry Priority
1
40%
3
2
60%
2
3
80%
1

V. CONCLUSIONS
The Sensor based automatic drip irrigation system using time based, volume based and priority based technique proves to be a
real time feedback control system which monitors and controls all the activities of drip irrigation system efficiently. The present
proposal is a model to modernize the agriculture industries at a mass scale with optimum expenditure. Using this system, one can
save manpower, water to improve production and ultimately profit. The developed irrigation automation system can be proposed
to be used in several commercial agricultural productions since it was obtained in low cost and in reliable operation.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I express my sincere gratitude towards Mr. A. B. Jagadale, Head, Electronics. I am deeply indebted to PG Coordinator Mrs. S. V.
Surwase and Project guide Mr. A.O. Mulani, for their valuable advice and guidance. I am also grateful to all other faculty
members of Electronics department for their cooperation.
REFERENCES
[1]

Joaqun Gutirrez, Juan Francisco Villa-Medina, Alejandra Nieto-Garibay, and Miguel ngel Porta-Gndara, Automated Irrigation System Using a
Wireless Sensor Network and GPRS Module, IEEE,2013.

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Sensor Based Automatic Drip Irrigation System

(J4R/ Volume 02 / Issue 02 / 009)
[2]
[3]
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B. Majone, F. Viani, E. Filippi, A. Bellin, A. Massa, G. Toller, F. Robol and M. Salucci Wireless Sensor Network deployment for monitoring soil
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Shiraz Pasha B.R., Dr. B Yogesha Microcontroller Based Automated Irrigation System, The International Journal Of Engineering And Science (IJES).
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Science and Engineering (IJESE) ISSN: 23196378, Volume-1, Issue-6, April 2013.
N. Suresh, M. Naga Lakshmi, G. Yaswanth, G. sujatha Real-Time Atomization Of Agricultural Environment For Social Modernization Of Indian
Agricultural System, International Journal of Science Engineering and Advance Technology , IJSEAT, Vol 3, Issue 3,March 2015.

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