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Smart drip irrigation system for sustainable agriculture

Conference Paper · July 2016

DOI: 10.1109/TIAR.2016.7801206

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 2016 IEEE International Conference on Technological Innovations in ICT For Agriculture and Rural Development
(TIAR 2016)

Smart Drip Irrigation System for sustainable

Agriculture

Kavianand G, Nivas V M, Kiruthika R, Lalitha S,

Department of Electronics Department of Mechanical Department of Biomedical Department of Computer
and Communication Engineering, Engineering, science and engineering,
Engineering, Panimalar Engineering Sastra University, Panimalar institute of
Panimalar Engineering College, Tanjore, India. Technology,
College, Chennai, India. kiruthikaraja8@gmail.com Chennai, India.
Chennai, India. vmnivas1410@gmail.com lalithasridhar05@gmail.com
kavianand96@gmail.com

Abstract— Agriculture is the back bone of India. To make the place only when there is intense requirement of water.
sustainable agriculture, this system is proposed. In this system Irrigation system uses valves to turn ON or OFF
ARM 9 processor is used to control and monitor the irrigation automatically. Automatic Drip Irrigation is a valuable tool for
system. Different kinds of sensors are used. This paper presents a accurate soil moisture control in highly specialized greenhouse
fully automated drip irrigation system which is controlled and vegetable production and it is a simple, precise method for
monitored by using ARM9 processor.PH content and the irrigation. It also helps in time saving, removal of human error
nitrogen content of the soil are frequently monitored. For the in adjusting available soil moisture levels and to maximize
purpose of monitoring and controlling, GSM module is their net profits. Along with water the other important
implemented. The system informs user about any abnormal
resources to the crop are the nutrients. If the nutrients are
conditions like less moisture content and temperature rise, even
concentration of CO2 via SMS through the GSM module.
available in the right amount for the growth of crops then the
yield of the crops also increases. Thus the productivity can be
Keywords—Agriculture, Irrigation, ARM Processor, GSM. raised with the proper management of water resources and
nutrients.
I. INTRODUCTION
II. IRRIGATION
In many agricultural cropping systems irrigation is There have been technological advancements in
necessary. In semiarid and arid areas, efficient water agriculture sector from the last decades and growth of the
applications and management are of major concerns [1]. The irrigated areas. But the traditional irrigation methods are still
continuous extraction of water from earth is reducing the predominant when it comes to try and correct the natural rain
water level due to which lot of land is coming slowly in the distribution [3]. The artificial application of water to the soil
zones of un-irrigated land. Large amount of water goes waste for growing crops is called as irrigation. Irrigation is mainly
due to improper planning of water usage. The demand for new used in dry areas and in periods of rainfall shortfalls to
water saving techniques in irrigation is increasing rapidly right increase crop production. The detail analysis of the conditions
now [2]. The aim of farmer is to produce “more crop per must be done while providing irrigation to the land.
drop”, hence there is need to find the irrigation techniques
which consumes less fresh water. These techniques are helpful III. TYPES OF IRRIGATION
in the regions where there is a scarcity of fresh water. In the
modern drip irrigation systems, the most significant advantage
is that water is supplied near the root zone of the plants drip by 1. Surface Irrigation (conventional irrigation)
drip due to which a large quantity of water is saved. At the 2. Drip Irrigation
present era, the farmers have been using irrigation technique 3. Sprinkler Irrigation
in India through the manual control in which the farmers The conventional methods of irrigation like sprinklers of
irrigate the land from time to time. This process sometimes overhead type, flood type irrigation systems wets the lower
consumes more water or sometimes the water reaches late due leaves and stem of the plants. When irrigation is done by using
to which the crops get dried. Water deficiency can be such methods the soil surface is often saturated and stays wet
hazardous to plants before wilting becomes visible. This for long time after irrigation is completed. These conditions
problem can be perfectly solved if automatic controller based leads to infections by leaf mould fungi. The flood type
drip irrigation system is used in which irrigation will take methods consume large amount of water and the intermediate

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 2016 IEEE International Conference on Technological Innovations in ICT For Agriculture and Rural Development
(TIAR 2016)

area between crop rows remains dry and receives water only is used to choose the soil type in which the system will work
from incidental rainfall. In order to solve this problem the drip and accordingly we can set the threshold points. Keypad is
or trickle irrigation is used which is a type of modern also used for manual operation. Thus the system will help to
irrigation technique that slowly applies small amounts of monitor, control and communicate. The system consists of
water to part of plant root zone [4]. Water is supplied following blocks:
frequently, often daily to maintain favorable soil moisture
condition and prevent moisture stress in the plant with proper A. Sensors
use of water resources. Drip irrigation at plant’s root zone is Sensors are the device which converts the physical
shown in Figure 1. Its shape depends on soil characteristics. parameter into the electric signal. The system consists of
Drip irrigation system saves water because only the plant’s temperature, humidity, moisture, soil pH and soil nitrogen
root zone receives moisture and helps to conserve water sensor. The output of sensor is analog signal; the signal is
resources. Small amount of water is lost through deep converted into digital signal and then fed to the processor. The
percolation if the proper amount is applied. temperature sensor is used to measure the temperature of the
soil. Here LM35 temperature sensor is used. The output
IV. SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE voltage of sensor is linearly proportional to the Celsius
Automation of the irrigation system is gaining importance (Centigrade) temperature. The humidity sensor is used to
as there is need to use water resources efficiently and also to measure the environment humidity. SY-HS-220 is used as a
increase the field productivity. The system is used to turn the humidity sensor module. The relative humidity is converted to
valves ON or OFF automatically as per the water requirement the output voltage which is the required output. The moisture
of the plants. The system is used for sensing, monitoring, sensor is used to measure the moisture content of the soil.
controlling and for communication purpose. Different sensors Copper electrodes are used to sense the moisture content of
are used to detect the different parameters of the soil like soil. The conductivity between the electrodes helps to measure
moisture, temperature, humidity, pH of soil and nitrogen the moisture content level. The pH sensor helps to determine
content of the soil. Depending upon the sensors output the the pH of the soil. Electrode is used to measure the pH. The
ARM9 processor will take the necessary action. The moisture nitrogen sensor is used to measure the nitrogen content of the
sensor output will help to determine whether to irrigate the soil.
land or not depending upon the moisture content. Along with
moisture sensor the temperature sensor output can also be B. ARM 9 Processor
taken into consideration while irrigating the land. If the Here ARM9 processor AT91SAM9G45 is used. The
moisture content of soil is very low and the temperature is ARM926EJ-S based AT91SAM9G45 consist of the
very high then there is need of irrigation for plants, but the combination of user interface functionality and high data rate
time for which irrigation will be provided is different for connectivity. It also consists of LCD Controller, camera
different temperature range. Because if the temperature is very interface, audio, resistive touchscreen, Ethernet 10/100 and
high then the evaporation rate is also very high and hence we high speed USB and SDIO. The processor is running at
have to provide water for more time in order to attain the 400MHz and multiple 100+ Mbps data rate peripherals, it has
proper moisture level in the soil. Hence for different the performance and bandwidth to the network or local storage
temperature range and moisture content level in the soil the media to provide an adequate user experience. It supports the
land will be irrigated for different time interval. Soil pH is also latest generation of DDR2 and NAND Flash memory
detected and measured. pH of the soil is also important factor interfaces for program and data storage. It consists of 133
which will affect the plant growth. Acidic or basic nature of MHz multi-layer bus architecture associated with 37 DMA
the soil will affect the nutrient availability in the soil. Soil channels internally, and also a dual external bus interface and
nutrients i.e. macronutrients or micronutrients are helpful for distributed memory including a 64- Kbyte SRAM which can
plant growth and there availability depends on the pH of the be configured as a tightly coupled memory (TCM) sustains the
soil [6]. Hence there is need to measure soil pH. Depending high bandwidth required by the processor and the high speed
upon the measured pH of the soil, suggestions can be given to peripherals. The I/Os support 1.8V or 3.3V operation, and they
the farmer to add various chemicals in order to achieve the are independently configurable for the memory interface and
desired pH of the soil for good plant growth. Nitrogen is one peripheral I/Os. The power management controller features
of the important macronutrient which is required for plant efficient clock gating and a battery backup section which
growth. In the system the nitrogen content of the soil is also minimizes power consumption in active and standby modes.
detected. According to the available nitrogen content in the
soil suggestions can be given to the farmer to add the Features
fertilizers containing nitrogen for healthy plant growth. In the 1. It consists of 32KBytes Data Cache, 32Kbytes Instruction
system LCD display is used to display various measured Cache, MMU
parameter of the soil and also the required suggestions. 2. Peripherals
Solenoid valves are used in the system which are controlled 1. 2 High Speed Memory Card Hosts are available
through the relay bank. The data is transmitted wirelessly by 2. For communication Four USARTs are available
using Si4432 ISM transceiver and the data is fetched by using 3. It consist of 8-channel 10-bit ADC
PC and which will be used for analyzing purpose. The keypad 3. I/O

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1. It consist of five 32-bit Parallel Input/Output Controllers 4. Low Power Consumption-18.5 mA receive transmit -
2. It is also having 160 Programmable I/O Lines Multiplexed 27mA@ +11 dBm
with up to Two Peripheral I/Os with Schmitt trigger input 5. It supports data rate from 1 to 128 kbps
6. It requires power supply of 1.8 to 3.6 V
7. It consist of ultra-low power shutdown mode
C. Transmitter / Receiver section 8. It is having Auto-frequency calibration (AFC) feature
9. It supports TX and RX of 64 byte with FIFOs
ARM9↔ MAX 232↔ Tx/RxSi4432 10. It comprises of temperature sensor and 8-bit ADC
11. Frequency hopping capability is available
The transmitter section is shown in Fig. 3. It consists of 12. It is provided with on-chip crystal tuning
ARM9, MAX 232 and Si4432 ISM transceiver. The soil
parameters are sensed by the different sensors in the system. E. GSM Module
The value of the parameter sensed is stored in the ARM9
processor. The data stored is transmitted further for analyzing The block diagram of the proposed GSM based system is
purpose. The Si4432 ISM transceiver is used for given in fig. 2. In this system GSM modules is interfaced with
communication. The receiver section is shown in Fig. 4. It the main controller chip. GSM is used for remotely monitoring
consists of Si4432 ISM transceiver, MAX 232 and PC. The and controlling the devices via a mobile phone by sending and
data send by the system is fetched by using PC. The data receiving SMS via GSM network.
fetched can be displayed and analyzed by using VB software.
Visual Basic i.e VB is used to prepare the graphical user
interface (GUI).
V. SOFTWARE
PC↔ MAX 232↔ Rx/TxSi4432 A. KEIL μ Vision (IDE)
D. Si4432 ISM Transceiver
Keil an ARM company makes C compilers, macro
assemblers, real-time kernels, debuggers, simulators,
Silicon Laboratories’ Si4432 is a highly-integrated, single integrated environments, evaluation boards, and emulators for
chip wireless ISM transceiver and it is part of the ARM7/ARM9/Cortex-M3, XC16x/C16x/ST10, 251 and 8051
EZRadioPRO™ family. The EZRadioPRO family includes a MCU families. When starting a new project simply select the
complete line of transmitters, receivers, and transceivers microcontroller you use from the Device Database and the
which allows the RF system designer to choose the optimal μVision IDE sets all compiler, assembler, linker, and memory
wireless part for their application. It provides advanced radio options. The Keil ARM tool kit includes three main tools,
features. It provides continuous frequency coverage from 240– assembler, compiler and linker. An assembler is used to
930 MHz and adjustable output power of up to +20 dBm with assemble the ARM assembly program. A compiler is used to
the Si4432. The Si4432 provides high level of integration compile the C source code into an object file. A linker is used
which reduces BOM cost while simplifying overall system to create an absolute object module suitable for in-circuit
design. The low receive sensitivity (–118 dBm) when coupled emulator. Here visual basic software is used on the PC. The
with the Si4432’s industryleading +20 dBm output power data send by the system is fetched by PC which is used for
ensures extended range and improved link performance. The analysis purpose. The algorithm to view the data is given
range can be extended by using built-in antenna diversity and below.
through frequency hopping; it also helps to enhance
performance. The system link budget is improved by 8-10 dB
as antenna diversity is completely integrated into the Si443x VI. ALGORITHM
which results in substantial increase of range under adverse 1. Start
environmental conditions. The Si4432 receiver uses a single- 2. Open the main form.
conversion architecture to convert the 2-level SK/GFSK/OOK 3. Select com port of PC.
modulated receive signal to a low IF frequency. Following a 4. Open wireless data communication.
programmable gain amplifier (PGA) the signal is converted to 5. Capture the wireless data.
the digital domain by a high performance delta-sigma ADC 6. Store the data in database.
allowing filtering, demodulation, slicing, error correction, and 7. Show the respective data to user for analysis.
packet handling to be performed in the built-in DSP, 8. End.
increasing the receiver’s performance and flexibility versus
analog based architectures.
VII. ADVANTAGES OF PROPOSED SYSTEM
Features
1. Frequency Range = 240–930 MHz (Si4432/31)
2. FSK, GFSK, and OOK modulation 1. Relatively simple to design and no man power needed.
3. It is having maximum output power of +20 dBm (Si4432) 2. Reduce soil erosion and nutrient leaching.

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 2016 IEEE International Conference on Technological Innovations in ICT For Agriculture and Rural Development
(TIAR 2016)

3. It consumes less than half of the water needed for a

sprinkler system.
4. Fertilizers can also be provided by using the system
5. pH and nitrogen content of the soil is maintained through
the suggestions which helps for healthy plant growth.

VIII. CONCLUSSION

The objective of this paper is to design a fully automated

drip irrigation system using GSM and ARM processor. The
system provides a real time feedback control module which
monitors and controls all the activities of drip irrigation
system efficiently. The system valves are turn ON or OFF
automatically depending upon the moisture content. This will
also provide the efficient information regarding the soil pH
and soil nutrients like nitrogen along with the proper
suggestions. The data collected by the system can be sending
for further analysis purpose. Finally, it is concluded that, with
this proposed system one can save manpower and water to
improve production which ultimately increases the profit.

REFERENCES

[1] Yunseop(James) Kim et al, “Remote Sensing and Control of an

Irrigation System Using a Distributed Wireless Sensor Network”, IEEE
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[2] Mahir Dursun and Semih Ozden,” A wireless application of drip
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[3] Gracon H. E. L. de Lima et al, “WSN as a Tool for Supporting
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[4] K.Prathyusha1 et al, “Design of embedded systems for the automation of
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[6] Gayatri Londhe et al, “Automated Irrigation System By Using ARM
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