Automated Soil Moisture Monitoring using Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract

In order to maximize the use of water for agricultural crops, an automated soil moisture monitoring system was created. A wirelessly dispersed network of soil-moisture and temperature sensors is employed in the system to monitor conditions in the root zone of the plants. In addition to these functions, a gateway device can manage the data collected by sensors, trigger actuators, and transmit data to a web application. A microcontroller-based gateway was built with an algorithm that was based on temperature and soil moisture threshold values for the purpose of managing the amount of water that was available. The electricity for the system came from photovoltaic panels, and it had a bidirectional communication connection that was built on an interface between cellular technology and the internet. This gave customers the ability to plan watering and analyse data via a web page. When compared to the conventional irrigation methods that are utilised in the agricultural zone, the automated system's test run on a field of sage crops resulted in water savings of up to 90 percent. The test lasted for 120 days. Since its implementation 18 months ago, the automated technology has been utilised effectively in all three of its designated places. Due to the low cost and energy independence of the gadget, it has the potential to be useful in places that have limited access to water and are located in remote areas.