Solar Powered Microcontroller-based Automated Irrigation System with Moisture Sensors

In traditional irrigation approach where water is irrigated on the land without adequate control measures, crops sometimes undergo increased stress with disparities in the soil moisture which consequently reduce the crop performance and output. In this paper, we come up with a prototype to increase crop yield while considering adequate agricultural water management and labour reduction, by adequate control measures in the irrigation process. An automatic irrigation system is designed and developed by integrating several hardware and software features. The system is designed to determine when exactly the soil of crops need water and deliver a controlled amount of water to the root zone of the crops based on the soil moisture state. With the microcontroller, the data obtained from the soil at the roots of the crops will determined how much water for irrigation is needed at a point in time, and supplies it, thereby incorporating good water management practice. The system is designed to run 24/7 on renewable solar energy.