Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Indian agriculture is dependent on the monsoons which is not a reliable source of water, so there is a need for an automatic irrigation system in the country which can provide water to the farms according to their moisture and soil types. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The objective of this paper is to develop a low cost power effective sensor based automatic irrigation system which is integrated to the microcontroller unit. The sensors used in this paper are soil temperature sensor and humidity sensor SHT1X. These sensors are interfaced to the Wireless Sensing Unit (WSU) and the entire unit was placed under the soil. It will transmit the sensor value to Wireless Interface Unit (WIU). The main motive of using WIU is to receive the sensed value from WSU and to activate the solenoid valve as well as to send a message to the mobile and also sends an email to the account of the user located in the remote area if the received value is greater than the threshold. The SMS and email are sent using GPRS module interfaced with the wireless interface unit. Findings: The irrigation system is tested under various temperatures and different levels of humidity for several plants in all conditions. The soil moisture sensor limits the water content in a particular area. Conclusions: The throughput obtained in wet and normal conditions are proved to be intuitive. Developing country like India sending SMS and email to authorize person is understandable.
Keywords: Arduino, Raspberry pi, SHT10 Sensor, SIM900A, Solar Panel, Solenoid Valve, Zig-Bee Modules