International Journal of Emerging Science and Engineering (IJESE)

ISSN: 2319–6378, Volume-1, Issue-6, April 2013

Microcontroller Based Drip Irrigation System

Abstract-In the field of agriculture, use of proper method of Water deficiency can be detrimental to plants before visible
irrigation is important and it is well known that irrigation by drip wilting occurs. Slowed growth rate, lighter weight fruit
is very economical and efficient. In the conventional drip follows slight water deficiency. This problem can be
irrigation system, the farmer has to keep watch on irrigation perfectly rectified if we use automatic micro controller
timetable, which is different for different crops. The project based drip irrigation system in which the irrigation will take
makes the irrigation automated. With the use of low cost sensors place only when there will be intense requirement of water.
and the simple circuitry makes this project a low cost product, Irrigation system uses valves to turn irrigation ON and OFF.
which can be bought even by a poor farmer. This project is best
These valves may be easily automated by using controllers
suited for places where water is scares and has to be used in
limited quantity. Also, third world countries can afford this
and solenoids. Automating farm or nursery irrigation allows
simple and low cost solution for irrigation and obtain good yield farmers to apply the right amount of water at the right time,
on Crops. UART controller that will be used in this project. A regardless of the availability of labour to turn valves on and
16×2 LCD is connected to the microcontroller, which displays the off. In addition, farmers using automation equipment are
humidity level and ambient temperature. Three pushbuttons are able to reduce runoff from over watering saturated soils,
provided to set the limits of humidity for switching the individual avoid irrigating at the wrong time of day, which will
solenoid valves controlling the water flow to the field. The improve crop performance by ensuring adequate water and
humidity and temperature levels are transmitted at regular time nutrients when needed. Automatic Drip Irrigation is a
interval to the PC through the RS232 serial port for data logging valuable tool for accurate soil moisture control in highly
and analysis. The humidity sensors are constructed using
aluminium sheets and housed in easily available materials. The
specialized greenhouse vegetable production and it is a
aim is to use the readily available material to construct low cost simple, precise method for irrigation. It also helps in time
sensors. Five relays are controlled by the microcontroller saving, removal of human error in adjusting available soil
through the high current driver IC, ULN2003. Four relays are moisture levels and to maximize their net profits.
provided for controlling four solenoid valves, which controls the The entire automation work can be divided in two sections,
flow of water to four different parts of the field. One relay is used first is to study the basic components of irrigation system
to shut-off the main motor which is used to pump the water to the thoroughly and then to design and implement the control
field. circuitry. So we will first see some of the basic platform of
drip irrigation system.
Keywords- UART, IC, ULN2003, 16×2 LCD.
II. IRRIGATION
I. INTRODUCTION Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the soil
The continuous increasing demand of the food requires the usually for assisting in growing crops. In crop production it
rapid improvement in food production technology. In a is mainly used in dry areas and in periods of rainfall
country like India, where the economy is mainly based on shortfalls, but also to protect plants against frost.
agriculture and the climatic conditions are isotropic, still we
are not able to make full use of agricultural resources. The 2.1 Types of irrigation
main reason is the lack of rains & scarcity of land reservoir Surface irrigation
water. The continuous extraction of water from earth is Localized irrigation
reducing the water level due to which lot of land is coming Drip Irrigation
slowly in the zones of un-irrigated land. Another very Sprinkler irrigation
important reason of this is due to unplanned use of water Drip irrigation also known as trickle irrigation or micro
due to which a significant amount of water goes waste. In irrigation is an irrigation method which minimizes the use of
the modern drip irrigation systems, the most significant water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the
advantage is that water is supplied near the root zone of the roots of plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto
plants drip by drip due to which a large quantity of water is the root zone, through a network of valves, pipes, tubing,
saved. At the present era, the farmers have been using and emitters.
irrigation technique in India through the manual control in
which the farmers irrigate the land at the regular intervals. 2.2 Concept of Modern Irrigation System
This process sometimes consumes more water or sometimes The conventional irrigation methods like overhead
the water reaches late due to which the crops get dried. sprinklers, flood type feeding systems usually wet the lower
leaves and stem of the plants. The entire soil surface is
Manuscript received on April, 2013. saturated and often stays wet long after irrigation is
D.Kotaiah Swamy, Final Year B.Tech, ECE, K L University, completed. Such condition promotes infections by leaf
Vaddeswaram, AP, India.
G.Rajesh, Final Year B.Tech, ECE, K L University, Vaddeswaram, AP,
mould fungi. The flood type methods consume large amount
India. of water and the area between crop rows remains dry and
M.Jaya Krishna Pooja, Final Year B.Tech, ECE, K L University, receives moisture only from incidental rainfall. On the
Vaddeswaram, AP, India. contrary the drip or trickle irrigation is a type of modern
A.Rama Krishna, Associate Professor B.Tech, Dept. Of ECM, K L
University, Vaddeswaram, AP, India.
irrigation technique that slowly applies small amounts of

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 Microcontroller Based Drip Irrigation System

water to part of plant root zone. Drip irrigation method is III. DESIGN OF MICROCONTROLLER BASED DRIP
invented by Israelis in 1970s. Water is supplied frequently, IRRIGATION SYSTEM
often daily to maintain favourable soil moisture condition We have to consider some key elements while designing a
and prevent moisture stress in the plant with proper use of mechanical model. Now we briefly discuss about these key
water resources. elements.
3.1Key Elements
a) Flow: You can measure the output of your water supply
with a one or five gallon bucket and a stopwatch. Time how
long it takes to fill the bucket and use that number to
calculate how much water is available per hour. Gallons per
minute x 60=number of gallons per hour.
b) Pressure: Most products operate best between 20 and 40
pounds of pressure. Normal household pressure is 40-50
pounds.
c) Water Supply & Quality: City and well water are easy
to filter for drip irrigation systems. Pond, ditch and some
well water have special filtering needs. The quality and
source of water will dictate the type of filter necessary for
your system. .
d) Soil Type and Root Structure: The soil type will dictate
how a regular drip of water on one spot will spread. Sandy
soil requires closer emitter spacing as water percolates
Figure1. Wetted Profile at Root Zone vertically at a fast rate and slower horizontally. With a clay
soil water tends to spread horizontally, giving a wide
A wetted profile developed in the plant’s root zone is as distribution pattern. Emitters can be spaced further apart
shown in Figure (1). Its shape depends on soil
with clay type soil. A loamy type soil will produce a more
characteristics. Drip irrigation saves water because only the
even percolation dispersion of water. Deep-rooted plants
plant’s root zone receives moisture. Little water is lost to
can handle a wider spacing of emitters, while shallow rooted
deep percolation if the proper amount is applied. Drip
plants are most efficiently watered slowly (low gap emitters)
irrigation is popular because it can increase yields and
with emitters spaced close together. On clay soil or on a
decrease both water requirements and labour.
hillside, short cycles repeated frequently work best. On
Drip irrigation requires about half of the water needed by
sandy soil, applying water with higher gap emitters lets the
sprinkler or surface irrigation. Lower operating pressures
water spread out horizontally better than a low gap emitter.
and flow rates result in reduced energy costs. A higher
e) Elevation: Variations in elevation can cause a change in
degree of water control is attainable. Plants can be supplied
water pressure within the system. Pressure changes by one
with more precise amounts of water. Disease and insect
pound for every 2.3 foot change in elevation. Pressure-
damage is reduced because plant foliage stays dry.
compensating emitters are designed to work in areas with
Operating cost is usually reduced. Federations may continue
large changes in elevation.
during the irrigation process because rows between plants
f) Timing: Watering in a regular scheduled cycle is
remain dry. Fertilizers can be applied through this type of
essential. On clay soil or hillsides, short cycles repeated
system. This can result in a reduction of fertilizer and
frequently work best to prevent runoff, erosion and wasted
fertilizer costs. When compared with overhead sprinkler
water. In sandy soils, slow watering using low output
systems, drip irrigation leads to less soil and wind erosion.
emitters is recommended. Timers help prevent the too-
Drip irrigation can be applied under a wide range of field
dry/too-wet cycles that stress plants and retard their growth.
conditions. A typical Drip irrigation assembly is shown in
They also allow for watering at optimum times such as early
figure (2) below. morning or late evening.
g) Watering Needs: Plants with different water needs may
require their own watering circuits. For example, orchards
that get watered weekly need a different circuit than a
garden that gets watered daily. Plants that are drought
tolerant will need to be watered differently than plants
requiring a lot of water.
3.2 Components
The components of micro controller based drip irrigation
system are as follows
I) Pump
II) Water Filter
III) Flow Meter
IV) Control Valve
V) Chemical Injection Unit
VI) Drip lines with Emitters
VII) Moisture and Temperature Sensors.
Figure2. Typical Assembly VIII) Micro controller Unit (The brain of the system).

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 International Journal of Emerging Science and Engineering (IJESE)
ISSN: 2319–6378, Volume-1, Issue-6, April 2013
3.3 Detailed Explanation of Microcontroller Unit A flow meter is attached for analysis of total water
The automated control system consists of moisture sensors, consumed. The required readings can be transferred to the
temperature sensors, Signal conditioning circuit, Digital to Centralized Computer for further analytical studies, through
analog converter, LCD Module, Relay driver, solenoid serial port present on microcontroller unit. While applying
control valves, etc. The unit is expressed in Figure (3) the automation on large fields more than one such
below. microcontroller units can be interfaced to the Centralized
Computer. The microcontroller unit has in-built timer in it,
which operates parallel to sensor system. In case of sensor
failure the timer turns off the valves after a threshold level
of time, which may prevent the further disaster. The
microcontroller unit may warn the pump failure or
insufficient amount of water input with the help of flow
meter.
3.4 Advantages
Relatively simple to design and install.
This is very useful to all climatic conditions any it is
economic friendly.
This makes increase in productivity and reduces water
consumption.
Here we are micro controllers so there is error free.
This is safest and no manpower is required. Permit
other yard and garden work to continue when
Figure3. Controller Unit irrigation is taking place, as only the immediate plant
The important parameters to be measured for automation areas are wet.
of irrigation system are soil moisture and temperature. The
Reduce soil erosion and nutrient leaching.
entire field is first divided in to small sections such that each
May be concealed to maintain the beauty of the
section should contain one moisture sensor and a
landscape, and to reduce vandalism and liability when
temperature sensor. RTD like PT100 can be used as a
installed in public areas.
temperature sensor while Densitometer can be used as the
Require smaller water sources, for example, less than
moisture sensor to detect moisture contents of soil. These
half of the water needed for a sprinkler system.
sensors are buried in the ground at required depth. Once the
soil has reached desired moisture level the sensors send a 3.5 Disadvantages
signal to the micro controller to turn off the relays, which This is only applicable for large size farms.
control the valves. The signal send by the sensor is boosted
Equipment is costlier.
upto the required level by corresponding amplifier stages.
Require frequent maintenance for efficient operation.
Then the amplified signal is fed to A/D converters of desired
resolution to obtain digital form of sensed input for Have limited life after installation due to the
microcontroller use. deterioration of the plastic components in a hot, arid
A 16X1 line LCD module can be used in the system to climate when exposed to ultraviolet light.
monitor current readings of all the sensors and the current IV. CONCLUSION
status of respective valves. The solenoid valves are The Microcontroller based drip irrigation system proves to
controlled by microcontroller though relays. A Chemical be a real time feedback control system which monitors and
injection unit is used to mix required amount of fertilizers, controls all the activities of drip irrigation system efficiently.
pesticides, and nutrients with water, whenever required. The present proposal is a model to modernize the agriculture
Varying speed of pump motor can control pressure of water. industries at a mass scale with optimum expenditure. Using
It can be obtained with the help of PWM output of this system, one can save manpower, water to improve
microcontroller unit. production and ultimately profit.

REFERENCES
1. Clemmens, A.J. 1990.Feedback Control for Surface Irrigation
Management in: Visions of the Future. ASAE Publication 04-90.
American Society of Agricultural Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan,
pp. 255-260.
2. Fangmeier, D.D., Garrot, D.J., Mancino, F. and S.H. Husman. 1990.
Automated Irrigation Systems Using Plant and Soil Sensors. In:
Visions of the Future. ASAE Publication 04-90. American Society of
Agricultural Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan, pp. 533-537.
3. Gonzalez, R.A., Struve, D.K. and L.C. Brown. 1992. A computer-
controlled drip Irrigation system for container plant production.
HortTechnology. 2(3):402-407.

Figure4. Application to Field First author and corresponding author:

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 Microcontroller Based Drip Irrigation System

DIMMETA KOTAIAH SWAMY was born in Vuyyuru.

GAJULA RAJESH was born in Gajullanka. He is now

M.JAYA KRISHNA POOJA was born in Siddipet. She

AKELLA RAMAKRISHNA is working as associate